TEST QUESTION MODULATES CUE COMPETITION BETWEEN CAUSES AND BETWEEN EFFECTS

The research reported in this article replicated the well-established phenomenon of competition between causes (C) as well as the more contr oversial presence and absence of competition between effects (E). The test question was identified as a crucial factor leading to each outco me. Competition between causes was obtained when the test question ask ed about the probability of E given C, p(E/C), implicitly compared wit h the probability of E given some alternative cause, p(E/C'). Competit ion between effects was obtained when the test question asked about p( C/E) implicitly compared with p(C/E'). Under these conditions, effects competed for diagnostic value just as causes competed for predictive value. Additionally, some conditions in which neither causes nor effec ts competed were identified. These results suggest a bidirectional and noncompetitive learning process, the contents of which can be used in different ways (competitively or noncompetitively and forward or back ward) as a function of test demands.