Response-Effect Learning as a Major Component of Implicit Serial Learning

Implicit response-effect learning was examined in 2 experiments, using a visual search version of the serial reaction time task introduced by M. J. Nissen and P. Bullemer (1987) . In Experiment 1, the relation between the response to the current stimulus and the location of the stimulus on the next trial (i.e., effect) was varied systematically. In Experiment 2, both the frequency of the association between stimuli and responses and the frequency of the association between responses and effects were manipulated. Only the frequency of the response-effect relation influenced learning. These results indicate that response-effect learning is an important component of serial learning. It is argued that response-effect relations constitute the initial implicit component of learning in serial reaction time tasks. From this implicit knowledge, knowledge about the stimulus sequence as well as the response sequence develops later.