Front Psychol. 2012 Oct 01;3:378. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00378. eCollection 2012.

Does explicit expectation really affect preparation?.

Frontiers in psychology

Valentin J Umbach, Sabine Schwager, Peter A Frensch, Robert Gaschler

PMID: 23248606 PMCID: PMC3521289 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00378

Abstract

Expectation enables preparation for an upcoming event and supports performance if the anticipated situation occurs, as manifested in behavioral effects (e.g., decreased RT). However, demonstrating coincidence between expectation and preparation is not sufficient for attributing a causal role to the former. The content of explicit expectation may simply reflect the present preparation state. We targeted this issue by experimentally teasing apart demands for preparation and explicit expectations. Expectations often originate from our experience: we expect that events occurring with a high frequency in the past are more likely to occur again. In addition to expectation, other task demands can feed into action preparation. In four experiments, frequency-based expectation was pitted against a selective response deadline. In a three-choice reaction time task, participants responded to stimuli that appeared with varying frequency (60, 30, 10%). Trial-by-trial stimulus expectations were either captured via verbal predictions or induced by visual cues. Predictions as well as response times quickly conformed to the variation in stimulus frequency. After two (of five) experimental blocks we forced participants by selective time pressure to respond faster to a less frequent stimulus. Therefore, participants had to prepare for one stimulus (medium frequency) while often explicitly expecting a different one (high frequency). Response times for the less frequent stimulus decreased immediately, while explicit expectations continued to indicate the (unchanged) presentation frequencies. Explicit expectations were thus not just reflecting preparation. In fact, participants responded faster when the stimulus matched the trial-wise expectations, even when task demands discouraged their use. In conclusion, we argue that explicit expectation feeds into preparatory processes instead of being a mere by-product.

Keywords: action control; anticipation; explicit expectation; preparation; task goals

References

1. Front Psychol. 2012 Dec 14;3:562 - PubMed
2. Psychophysiology. 2009 Jul;46(4):758-70 - PubMed
3. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2006 Sep;32(5):955-65 - PubMed
4. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2006 Jan;32(1):118-30 - PubMed
5. Cogn Process. 2007 Jun;8(2):71-8 - PubMed
6. Mem Cognit. 1981 Nov;9(6):631-41 - PubMed
7. Psychol Rev. 1950 Jul;57(4):193-216 - PubMed
8. Mem Cognit. 2004 Mar;32(2):298-310 - PubMed
9. Psychol Rev. 2001 Jul;108(3):624-52 - PubMed
10. Behav Res Methods. 2009 Feb;41(1):154-162 - PubMed
11. Nat Neurosci. 2008 May;11(5):543-5 - PubMed
12. Q J Exp Psychol A. 2004 Feb;57(2):193-221 - PubMed
13. Cognition. 2008 Dec;109(3):416-22 - PubMed
14. Psychol Res. 2009 Nov;73(6):803-16 - PubMed
15. Behav Brain Sci. 2001 Oct;24(5):849-78; discussion 878-937 - PubMed
16. Annu Rev Neurosci. 1990;13:25-42 - PubMed
17. Psychol Rev. 1981 Mar;88(2):135-70 - PubMed
18. Cognition. 2009 May;111(2):275-9 - PubMed
19. Conscious Cogn. 2010 Mar;19(1):447-56 - PubMed
20. J Exp Psychol. 1963 May;65:423-32 - PubMed
21. Science. 1997 Mar 14;275(5306):1593-9 - PubMed
22. Brain. 1983 Sep;106 (Pt 3):623-42 - PubMed
23. Front Psychol. 2012 Aug 08;3:282 - PubMed

Publication Types

• Journal Article