Implicit learning of the non-existence of an invariant

Abstract

The present study examined whether participants were able to implicitly learn the non-existence, as well as the existence, of an invariant. In Experiment 1 the participants were exposed to 40 four-digit numbers and performed a distracter task. All the stimuli for the positive condition contained the invariant "3" (positive stimuli), but the stimuli for the negative condition did not (negative stimuli). The control stimuli contained an equal quantity of numbers (from 1 to 9). A pseudo-recognition memory task then followed. The participants in the positive condition then selected more positive stimuli than the chance level, but participants in the negative condition selected fewer positive stimuli than the chance level which was indicated by the participants in the control condition. Experiment 2 used "7" as the invariant, and produced the same results as Experiment 1. This study is the first that indicates an implicit learning of the non-existence, as well as existence, of an invariant. The significance and the problems of these results are discussed.