Relational responding modulates and reverses affective ratings in evaluative conditioning

Three experiments explored relational responding in evaluative conditioning. In Experiment 1, the participants were trained with a computer task to make relational responses by putting CSs of different sizes in boxes in order of size. Subsequently they were instructed that these different sized CSs represented different intensities of hypothetical USs (money and shock). Results show (1) more positive evaluations of CSs representing positive than negative USs; (2) a CS–US intensity effect, with larger conditioning effects for CSs representing USs of more intense value; and (3) a reversal in evaluative ratings for the weakest CS–US combinations (i.e. CSs associated with USs representing a mild shock are evaluated more positively than those representing a small amount of money). Experiment 2 was conducted with the goal of controlling for an alternative S–R learning explanation for the reversal effect. Finally, Experiment 3 showed that reversal was the result of the relational responding procedure. Overall our findings indicate that a comparative context created by relational responding can modulate and reverse evaluative ratings.

► We tested the effects of relational responding on evaluative conditioning.
► Different sized CSs represented different levels of hypothetical shock or money.
► A comparative context can modulate and reverse evaluative ratings.