IMPLICIT LEARNING OF EVALUATIVE ASSOCIATIONS

Evaluative learning refers to the change in the affective evaluation o f a previously neutral stimulus that occurs after the stimulus has bee n associated with a second, affectively relevant (positive or negative ) stimulus. We review evidence which strongly suggests that evaluative learning can proceed implicitly. Whereas much of the evidence for imp licit learning has been criticized on the basis of the information and sensitivity criteria (Shanks & St. John, 1994), we argue that the evi dence obtained from evaluative learning studies can not easily be dism issed on these grounds. Despite the fact that evaluative learning rese arch has resulted in strong evidence for implicit learning, it has lar gely been ignored within the literature on implicit learning. The main aim of the present manuscript is to bring evaluative learning researc h to the attention of implicit learning researchers.