1. Enhancing Intuitive Decision Making Through Implicit Learning (I2BRC)
Paul J. Reber & Ben Reuveni, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University
Audiovisual Category Learning Task
Enhancing IDM using IL
Research Question(s) & Approach
Correct answer is based on hidden dimension structure and embedded auditory cues
Arbitrary categories based on 4 stimulus dimensions:
Terrain (hilliness)
Vegetation (tree density)
Weather
Time of day
IDM = Intuitive decision making
-Effective use of instinct, gut reactions
IL= Implicit learning
-Phenomenon of learning without awareness
Goal: Using IL methodology to quantify and enhance effective IDM
Developing a new IL/IDM protocol
-Moving from laboratory work towards simulation-based training
Goals:
-Task must require a complex decision
-Learning is gradual over training session
-Effect of implicit learning can be quantified
Will provide a testbed to measure the effectiveness of IDM enhancing training
Task: Your group needs to travel across this terrain quickly.
Which formation do you think will let you arrive on time?
Cat.
Hills
Trees
Time
Weather
Auditory Cue
Alpha
0.442
0.783
0.753
0.288
Cardinal
Bravo
0.748
0.410
0.877
0.241
Blue Jay
Charlie
0.449
0.392
0.683
0.592
Eaglet
Alpha
Bravo
Charlie
Background Theory
Set-up:
450 Total Trials (150 per category)
Feedback after each trial
- Learning by trial and error
Auditory Predictive Cues embedded in natural background noise
80% present / 80% predictive
64% True Cue, 20% No Cue, 16% False Cue
Preliminary results:
Terrain dimensions learned relatively evenly.
True Auditory Cues enhance performance.
Some evidence of conscious rule discovery by verbal report
Some identified bird calls aided in category discrimination.
Memory is not just one thing
- We “remember” things we encounter or try to memorize
In the brain: medial temporal lobe memory systems
- We get better with practice and experience
In the brain: pervasive neuroplasticity mechanisms
How do we use information represented in different parts of the brain to guide decision making?
Project Outline
* Dimension scales =
Embedded Predictive Cue Results
Task 1
-Establish learning in substantial sample
-Assess awareness of knowledge
Task 2
-Embed probabilistic cues learning implicitly
-Quantify performance difference with/without cues
Task 3
-Measure effectiveness of manipulations such as stress, speed, distraction, meditation, etc.
PINNACLE
Two route, competitive model
-Deliberate cognition
-Implicit intuition
When does implicit learning lead to accurate intuitive judgments?
When does and explicit strategy inhibit intuition?
Model-derived training recommendations
Explicit, deliberate
Implicit, intuitive
Decision Module
Gating
Input
Status
Intuition: implicit knowledge of patterns, statistics, associations
Conscious, explicit memory: Rules, heuristics, examples
Perception
Evaluation of options, action selection
Next Steps
Lengthen protocol or shorten trials duration to increase exposure to subtle cues.
Change frequency and predictive power of embedded auditory cues.
Manipulate cognitive state of participant to determine state effects on IDM.
n = 11