Using Sequential Dependencies in Category Learning  Exploring the Role of Adjacency and Structure

Using Sequential Dependencies in Category Learning Exploring the Role of Adjacency and Structure | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Using Sequential Dependencies in Category Learning Exploring the Role of Adjacency and Structure Vedant Biren Shah, René Schlegelmilch, Bettina von Helversen This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6025765/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 18 Sep, 2025 Read the published version in Psychological Research → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Sequential decision-making is a common cognitive task where subsequent decisions often depend on the outcomes of earlier ones. While sequence learning research demonstrates humans' ability to learn regularities in sequentially presented information, investigations are sparse regarding complex decision-making tasks, such as category learning. This study connects both domains and explores whether individuals can detect and utilize regularities between sequential categorization task outcomes to enhance learning and categorize novel targets. For this, we extended a classical category learning paradigm (Study 1: Type I, Study 2: Type II category structures), where the outcome of one categorization task depends on the outcome(s) of previous tasks in a sequence. We compared performance in each study to a control condition without dependencies (Type VI). Connecting the design to sequential grammar learning, in Study 1, we further manipulated the adjacency of the relevant outcomes (consecutive or separated by an irrelevant task).The results of Study 1 showed that with a Type I dependency, participants learned the second task's outcome more rapidly than in the control condition. During the transfer phase, participants successfully applied the dependency to categorize novel targets in both adjacent and non-adjacent conditions. In contrast, in Study 2, we found no evidence of effects on learning or generalization of a Type II dependency, as performance was equal to the control condition. We discuss these findings from category learning and statistical learning perspectives and how investigations intersecting both domains can contribute to the broader understanding of complex sequential decision-making processes. We also highlight open questions for future research. Sequential Learning Category Learning Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplimentaryMaterial.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 18 Sep, 2025 Read the published version in Psychological Research → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 27 Mar, 2025 Reviews received at journal 27 Mar, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Feb, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Feb, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 14 Feb, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 14 Feb, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 13 Feb, 2025 First submitted to journal 13 Feb, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6025765","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":419974970,"identity":"5eec1cb8-10f2-456e-9d40-b77e1ac2a601","order_by":0,"name":"Vedant Biren Shah","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA1UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHgZmhgoGBjYgAwoSiNFyhmQtjG0QBnFaDM6fPfi5cN7hPD4G3mMfPubY5DGwJx/Ar+VGXrL0zG2Hi9kY+JJnztyWVszA8wy/NZIzeAykebcdTmyTf2PMDGI0SOQY4NfSf8b4N+8coBYGHmPmv9v+A7Xkf8CrhZ8hx0yatwGqhXHbAZAteHUw8EvkmFnzHEsHauFLZuzdlpzYxvMMv8PY+M8Y3+apsU6c38B7mOHnNrvEfvbkB/itwTSERPWjYBSMglEwCrAAAJW9P7XO+xXTAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"University of Bremen","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vedant","middleName":"Biren","lastName":"Shah","suffix":""},{"id":419974971,"identity":"544bc662-48d6-4488-a0f4-3c8eeff52fff","order_by":1,"name":"René Schlegelmilch","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Bremen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"René","middleName":"","lastName":"Schlegelmilch","suffix":""},{"id":419974972,"identity":"02091942-b337-4664-8410-ecc05a6ade0b","order_by":2,"name":"Bettina von Helversen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Bremen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bettina","middleName":"","lastName":"von Helversen","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-02-13 20:38:14","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6025765/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6025765/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-025-02180-7","type":"published","date":"2025-09-18T15:57:43+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":91890030,"identity":"fe671422-4207-42f4-972c-0ba024a69cc3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-22 16:03:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":569201,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"UsingSequentialDependenciesinCategoryLearning.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6025765/v1_covered_98abae18-4252-458c-bbd1-4ca2c23d39ec.pdf"},{"id":77655498,"identity":"6dd9d7ab-3d41-4f2d-9ccc-6498f5a83cce","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-04 03:16:44","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":118737,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplimentaryMaterial.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6025765/v1/b079f3a13410a4e0a7424a49.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Using Sequential Dependencies in Category Learning Exploring the Role of Adjacency and Structure","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"psychological-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"prpf","sideBox":"Learn more about [Psychological Research](http://link.springer.com/journal/426)","snPcode":"426","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/426/3","title":"Psychological Research","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Sequential Learning, Category Learning","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6025765/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6025765/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Sequential decision-making is a common cognitive task where subsequent decisions often depend on the outcomes of earlier ones. While sequence learning research demonstrates humans' ability to learn regularities in sequentially presented information, investigations are sparse regarding complex decision-making tasks, such as category learning. This study connects both domains and explores whether individuals can detect and utilize regularities between sequential categorization task outcomes to enhance learning and categorize novel targets. For this, we extended a classical category learning paradigm (Study 1: Type I, Study 2: Type II category structures), where the outcome of one categorization task depends on the outcome(s) of previous tasks in a sequence. We compared performance in each study to a control condition without dependencies (Type VI). Connecting the design to sequential grammar learning, in Study 1, we further manipulated the adjacency of the relevant outcomes (consecutive or separated by an irrelevant task).The results of Study 1 showed that with a Type I dependency, participants learned the second task's outcome more rapidly than in the control condition. During the transfer phase, participants successfully applied the dependency to categorize novel targets in both adjacent and non-adjacent conditions. In contrast, in Study 2, we found no evidence of effects on learning or generalization of a Type II dependency, as performance was equal to the control condition. We discuss these findings from category learning and statistical learning perspectives and how investigations intersecting both domains can contribute to the broader understanding of complex sequential decision-making processes. We also highlight open questions for future research.","manuscriptTitle":"Using Sequential Dependencies in Category Learning Exploring the Role of Adjacency and Structure","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-04 03:16:39","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6025765/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-03-27T20:18:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-03-27T16:12:47+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-03-14T08:32:20+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"129728768305967010251480333650833735403","date":"2025-02-20T22:56:58+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"171690141203915843675560125341447695519","date":"2025-02-14T10:12:04+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-02-14T08:05:33+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-02-14T08:03:09+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-02-14T04:31:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Psychological Research","date":"2025-02-13T20:30:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"psychological-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"prpf","sideBox":"Learn more about [Psychological Research](http://link.springer.com/journal/426)","snPcode":"426","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/426/3","title":"Psychological Research","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"52ce73e0-db99-4d2c-8093-b18da57c4fb8","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 4th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-09-22T16:03:12+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6025765","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-025-02180-7","journal":{"identity":"psychological-research","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Psychological Research"},"publishedOn":"2025-09-18 15:57:43","publishedOnDateReadable":"September 18th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-04 03:16:39","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s00426-025-02180-7","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-025-02180-7","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6025765","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6025765","identity":"rs-6025765","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}