What matters in implicit task sequence learning: Perceptual stimulus features, task sets, or correlated streams of information?

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 37(4) of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (see record 2011-13273-005). Two figures appearing on pages 1500 and 1502 contained incorrect labels for the x-axis of the control condition (ranran). The correct versions of Figure 3 and Figure 4 are provided in the erratum.] Implicit task sequence learning may be attributed to learning the order of perceptual stimulus features associated with the task sequence, learning a series of automatic task set activations, or learning an integrated sequence that derives from 2 correlated streams of information. In the present study, our purpose was to distinguish among these 3 possibilities. In 4 separate experiments, we replicated and extended a previous study by Heuer, Schmidtke, and Kleinsorge (2001). The presence or absence of a sequence of tasks, as well as that of a sequence of different task-to-response mappings, was manipulated independently within experiments. Evidence of implicit sequence learning was found only when correlated sequences of tasks and mappings were present. No sequence learning effects were found when only a single task sequence or a single mapping sequence was present, even when the structure of the single sequence was identical to the structure of the integrated sequence of task-mapping combinations. These results suggest that implicit task sequence learning is not dependent on either perceptual learning of stimulus features or automatic task-set activation per se. Rather, it appears to be driven by correlated streams of information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

"What matters in implicit task sequence learning: Perceptual stimulus features, task sets, or correlated streams of information?" Correction to Weiermann et al. (2010).

Reports an error in "What matters in implicit task sequence learning: Perceptual stimulus features, task sets, or correlated streams of information" by Brigitte Weiermann, Josephine Cock and Beat Meier (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 2010[Nov], Vol 36[6], 1492-1509). Two figures appearing on pages 1500 and 1502 contained incorrect labels for the x-axis of the control condition (ranran). The correct versions of Figure 3 and Figure 4 are provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-22281-001.) Implicit task sequence learning may be attributed to learning the order of perceptual stimulus features associated with the task sequence, learning a series of automatic task set activations, or learning an integrated sequence that derives from 2 correlated streams of information. In the present study, our purpose was to distinguish among these 3 possibilities. In 4 separate experiments, we replicated and extended a previous study by Heuer, Schmidtke, and Kleinsorge (2001). The presence or absence of a sequence of tasks, as well as that of a sequence of different task-to-response mappings, was manipulated independently within experiments. Evidence of implicit sequence learning was found only when correlated sequences of tasks and mappings were present. No sequence learning effects were found when only a single task sequence or a single mapping sequence was present, even when the structure of the single sequence was identical to the structure of the integrated sequence of task-mapping combinations. These results suggest that implicit task sequence learning is not dependent on either perceptual learning of stimulus features or automatic task-set activation per se. Rather, it appears to be driven by correlated streams of information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)