[PS-3.18] Behavioral and neural correlates of implicit and explicit visual statistical learning

Habasinska, D. 1, 3, 4 , Land, R. 1, 3 , Kopp, B. 2 & Kral, A. 1, 3, 4

1 Department of Otolaryngology, Hannover Medical School
2 Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School
3 Institute of AudioNeuroTechnology, Hannover Medical School
4 Cluster of Excellence 'Hearing4all'

Statistical learning is defined as the implicit acquisition of knowledge about probabilistic patterns in the environment. However, declarable explicit knowledge about these patterns may also emerge. Such explicit knowledge strongly influences behavioral and neurophysiological responses to probabilistic stimuli. The neural correlates of implicit knowledge acquisition, which in many learning situations precede the acquisition of explicit knowledge, remain hitherto much less clear.

In order to study implicit and explicit aspects of statistical learning, we used a speeded-response visual statistical learning task while recording 64-channel EEG and behavioral responses.

A short questionnaire was distributed after completion of the task. It revealed that about half of the subjects acquired explicit knowledge about the statistical structure, and the others did not. In agreement with previous studies, these two subject groups were characterized by different reaction time curves and by different event-related potential (ERP) patterns in the P300 time window.

Apart from group comparisons, we conducted exploratory analyses on individual data to better understand the temporal dynamics of implicit and explicit knowledge acquisition at behavioral and neural levels.

Our study illustrates the potential of combining behavioral and ERP measures for analyzing implicit and explicit knowledge acquisition during statistical learning.

Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Exc 1077).