Disentangling semantic and response learning effects in color-word contingency learning.

Geukes, S., Vorberg, D., & Zwitserlood, P.

Abstract

It is easier to indicate the ink color of a color-neutral noun when it is presented in the color inwhich it has frequently been shown before, relative to print colors in which it has beenshown less often. This phenomenon is known as color-word contingency learning. Itremains unclear whether participants actually learn semantic (word-color) associations and/or response (word-button) associations. We present a novel variant of the paradigm thatcan disentangle semantic and response learning, because word-color and word-buttonassociations are manipulated independently. In four experiments, each involving four dailysessions, pseudowords—such as enas, fatu or imot—were probabilistically associated witheither a particular color, a particular response-button position, or both. Neutral trials withoutcolor-pseudoword association were also included, and participants’ awareness of the contingencieswas manipulated. The data showed no influence of explicit contingency awareness,but clear evidence both for response learning and for semantic learning, with effectsemerging swiftly. Deeper processing of color information, with color words presented inblack instead of color patches to indicate response-button positions, resulted in strongereffects, both for semantic and response learning. Our data add a crucial piece of evidencelacking so far in color-word contingency learning studies: Semantic learning effectivelytakes place even when associations are learned in an incidental way.