It Doesn't Hurt to Try: The Impact of a Search for Structure in Artificial Grammar Learning
Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Some research suggests children are less susceptible to the influence of top-down cognitive processes than adults, and rather, children learn through unbiased sensitivity to information in the environment. One potential means of testing this theory is by manipulating the cognitive processes used in an artificial grammar learning task. Some evidence indicates that adults' success in this task can be reduced by engaging in a deliberate search for the rules underlying stimuli organization. If children are truly less biased learners, it should be the case that they would be less susceptible to the negative effects of a search for structure. In two experiments, we tested how a search for structure affects adult learning of an artificial grammar, and contrary to prediction, the results suggest that searching for structure is beneficial for adults. Therefore, the use of an artificial grammar learning paradigm in exploring developmental questions may be unwarranted, without additional work.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Michael Paul Dubois
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2945387851