Equation 2 · Part 1 · Prepared Fears: How Evolution Biased What the Mind Learns to Dread
Symbol V
What this part means
the current associative strength between a stimulus and an outcome.
Its job in the formula
V is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.
Full expression→Symbol V→Article meaning
Where the article explains it
where V is the current associative strength between a stimulus and an outcome, is the asymptotic strength that outcome supports, and is a learning-rate parameter governing how much of the gap between the two is closed on a given trial.
The passage around this formula
where V is the current associative strength between a stimulus and an outcome, is the asymptotic strength that outcome supports, and is a learning-rate parameter governing how much of the gap between the two is closed on a given trial. Preparedness theory’s defensible empirical content, on…
Learn the underlying idea
A variable is a named place for a value. Its letter is a local label: x can mean position in one formula and a data point in another.
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Sources cited in the article section
- [13] The Legacy of Seligman's "Phobias and Preparedness" (1971) ↗
- [10] Testing the Snake-Detection Hypothesis: Larger Early Posterior Negativity in Humans to Pictures of Snakes than to Pictures of Other Reptiles, Spiders and Slugs ↗
- [3] Observational Conditioning of Fear to Fear-Relevant Versus Fear-Irrelevant Stimuli in Rhesus Monkeys ↗
- [12] Gender and Age Differences in the Prevalence of Specific Fears and Phobias ↗
These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.