The Role of Interference in Implicit Learning of the Stroop Stimuli Sequence
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Keywords

cognitive unconscious
unconscious processes
implicit learning
explicit learning
structured sequence
sequence learning
interference
incongruent stimuli
Stroop effect
learning efficiency

Abstract

Introduction. The effect of interference can help identify essential characteristics of the process of acquiring new knowledge. This study is the first to provide empirical evidence on the use of the effect of interference to dissociate explicit and implicit learning. We tested the hypothesis that the effect of interference arising in response to the Stroop test stimuli reduces the efficiency of explicit sequence learning and does not significantly affect implicit sequence learning.

Methods. A sample of 80 respondents took part in this study (mean age = 22.7 years). In the experiment, we used the serial reaction time tasks, when subjects were instructed to respond quickly and accurately to the sequences of stimuli. Some subjects (n = 40) viewed series of colour names written in congruent (corresponding) font colours; others (n = 40) viewed series of colour names written in incongruent (non-corresponding) font colours (Stroop stimuli). The subjects were asked to respond to font colours, without reading words. To identify explicit sequence learning, we used the recognition test.

Results. We found a significant sequence learning effect among the subjects who performed the task under congruent and incongruent conditions. Meanwhile, all subjects demonstrated a low level of explicit sequence learning (less than 51.9 % of correct responses in the recognition test). We discovered that implicit sequence learning eliminates the effect of interference (a delay in response time to incongruent stimuli).

Discussion. The results confirmed the assumption that the effect of interference does not reduce the efficiency of implicit sequence learning. The absence of significant differences between the groups that responded to congruent and incongruent stimuli makes it impossible to fully evaluate the impact of interference on explicit sequence learning. In general, the findings from this study speak in favour of the fact that the effect of interference impedes the explication of the sequence structure.

https://doi.org/10.21702/rpj.2021.2.2
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