Configural learning in human Pavlovian conditioning: acquisition of a biconditional discrimination.

Previous studies of conditioning have shown that non-human animals are able to master discrimination problems which cannot be solved on the basis of elemental associations. Most of these discrimination problems, however, have not yet been investigated in human Pavlovian conditioning. In a skin conductance conditioning experiment we therefore assessed whether humans can solve a biconditional discrimination. Participants underwent conditioning with an AB+, CD+, AD-, CB- design and successfully mastered this discrimination. Thus, they were able to learn about the relationship of specific configurations of stimuli with the reinforcer. The results extend previous findings of configural learning in humans.