Efectos de la modalidad del estímulo y el tipo de categoría en una tarea de aprendizaje procedimental

Resumo

This dissertation tries to bring new data on some theoretical aspects that are still source of debate in basic psychology of memory. In special, stimuli modality and category type influences are studied in a procedural learning task. The controversy about if there is one or there are more semantic memory systems processing words and pictures independently is analysed. Results show that there are not differences in procedural learning of semantic categorization between words and pictures. However, already known processing differences between both stimuli modalities influence on skill acquisition. Stimuli modality during study phase is decisive in posterior semantic classification of the same stimuli in the other modality during test phase. Semantic classification of different concepts during test phase shows how skill learning is conserved after practice. On the other hand, category type influence on a procedural learning task is analyzed. Stimuli belonging to biological categories are classified faster at the beginning of the task than stimuli belonging to non biological categories. However, this effect vanishes with the practice even in those experimental conditions in which stimuli modality or concepts are modified during test phase