Using computational simulations to discover optimal training paradigms

The organization of training is an important determinant of how well subjec ts learn a cognitive task. To understand why different training schedules p roduce different learned performance, we used a hippocampal model to compar e three training paradigms for the hippocampally dependent cognitive task c alled transverse patterning. Simulations reproduce training effects seen in humans and rats. As in behavioral studies, progressive training produces r obust learning while random training renders the task essentially unlearnab le. The simulations predict that a third training paradigm, called staged l earning, will produce more robust learning on average than the progressive paradigm used in published behavioral studies. Possible mechanisms underlyi ng performance differences between paradigms are investigated and discussed . (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.