The effect of context change on simple acquisition disappears with increased training

Abstract

The goal of this experiment was to assess the impact that experience with a task has on the context specificity of the learning that occurs. Participants performed an instrumental task within a computer game where different responses were performed in the presence of discriminative stimuli to obtain reinforcers. The number of training trials (3, 5, or 8) with each discriminative stimulus varied between participants. A single test trial was conducted in the context where training occurred or in a different but equally familiar context. The change in context attenuated performance in participants that received 3 training trials, but not in the others, suggesting that the influence of context on performance decreases when training increases.