The Role of Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Learning on theInterleaving Effect in Category Induction
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Interleaving has been shown to promote inductive category learning compared to massing. \nInterleaved presentation allows for the identification of features that are different between \ncategories, thus enhancing discrimination learning of categories, whereas massed presentation \npromotes identification of features that are common among stimuli from the same category. \nPrevious studies that found the interleaving effect employed the “bottom-up” learning \napproach (i.e. learning through exposure to exemplars) to inductive category learning. It is not \nknown whether the same effects of interleaving can be observed in category induction using \nthe top-down learning approach (i.e. learning when explicit information about the categories \nand the experimental procedures involved is given in advance). Thus, it would be interesting \nto compare “bottom-up learning” and “top-down learning” of categories. Using paintings from \nseveral artists, the present study investigated the effect of “bottom-up” learning (i.e. learning \nthrough exposure to exemplars) versus “top-down” learning of categories. One hundred and \ntwenty undergraduate students participated in the present study, which used a 2 (Presentation \nstyle: Massed vs. Interleaved) x 2 (Learning type: Bottom-up vs. Top-down) mixed-factorial \ndesign. Consistent with previous findings, the benefits of interleaving were achieved using \nthe “bottom-up” condition, while the current study also achieved some positive outcomes \nusing the “top-down” condition. However, no significant effect of learning type was found, \nwhich indicates that performance in both groups did not differ significantly. Participants in \nboth learning conditions perceived massing to be more helpful to learning than interleaving \nalthough their actual performance showed the opposite.
Author: Norehan Zulkiply
Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2473854547