Generalization in human causal learning from semantically integral verbal compound stimuli Semantically separable verses. Generalización en el aprendizaje causal humano a partir de estímulos compuestos verbales semánticamente integrales Versus semánticamente separables.

Abstract

A sample of 64 college students with an age range between 16 and 25 years participated in a causal learning task that sought to establish whether in the presentation of causal stimuli, semantically elemental versus semantically integral, occurs symmetry or asymmetry in the generalization test with compounds stimuli. This experiment showed generalization decrement with both kind of stimuli (semantically elemental and semantically integral), consistent with a configurational perspective of the compounds processing, and rejecting the hypothesis of flexible processing in which symmetry in the generalization decrement occurs with integral stimuli and asymmetry occurs in the generalization decrement with separable stimuli.