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Straw-men and selective citation are needed to argue that associative-link formation makes no contribution to human learning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2009

Dominic M. Dwyer
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdommark.haselgrove@Nottingham.ac.ukhttp://www.psychology.nottingham.ac.uk/staff/mxh/
Michael E. Le Pelley
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdommark.haselgrove@Nottingham.ac.ukhttp://www.psychology.nottingham.ac.uk/staff/mxh/
David N. George
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdommark.haselgrove@Nottingham.ac.ukhttp://www.psychology.nottingham.ac.uk/staff/mxh/
Mark Haselgrove
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdomdwyerdm@Cardiff.ac.ukhttp://www.cardiff.ac.uk/psych/contactsandpeople/lecturing/dwyer-dominic-m-overview_new.htmllepelleyme@Cardiff.ac.ukhttp://www.cardiff.ac.uk/psych/contactsandpeople/lecturing/le-pelley-mike-overview_new.htmlgeorged@Cardiff.ac.ukhttp://www.cardiff.ac.uk/psych/contactsandpeople/researchfellows/george-d-n-dr-overview_new.htmlhoney@Cardiff.ac.ukhttp://www.cardiff.ac.uk/psych/contactsandpeople/lecturing/honey-rob-overview_new.html
Robert C. Honey
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdommark.haselgrove@Nottingham.ac.ukhttp://www.psychology.nottingham.ac.uk/staff/mxh/

Abstract

Mitchell et al. contend that there is no need to posit a contribution based on the formation of associative links to human learning. In order to sustain this argument, they have ignored evidence which is difficult to explain with propositional accounts; and they have mischaracterised the evidence they do cite by neglecting features of these experiments that contradict a propositional account.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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