Re-examination of the role of within-compound associations in the retrospective revaluation of causal judgements

We investigated blocking and retrospective revaluation of causal judgements using a scenario in which food cues acted as potential causes of an allerg ic reaction as the outcome. In the blocking contingency, the treatment cues were either paired or unpaired with the outcome prior to a second stage in which sequential compounds of treatment and target cues were paired with t he outcome. The order of this compound and treatment training was reversed in retrospective revaluation contingencies. When the interstimulus interval between the treatment and target cues was unfilled on compound trials (Exp eriments 1 and 3), both blocking and retrospective revaluation were observe d in that the target cue trained in compound with the paired treatment cue attracted lower causal ratings than the target cue trained in compound with the unpaired treatment cue. By contrast, performing a mental arithmetic ta sk using numerals presented during the interstimulus interval had no effect on the magnitude of blocking but rendered retrospective revaluation unreli able (Experiments 2 and 3). These results provide further support for accou nts of revaluation based upon within-compound associations.