PI: URCUIOLI IBN-9419929 How Expectancies Influence Behavior The ability to anticipate forthcoming events which occur with predictable regularity is very important to both humans and animals. The capacity to anticipate future events has often been demonstrated to influence ongoing behavior. Yet there is much about this important cognitive ability that is not well understood. This research program will examine the types of situations in which animals learn to expect predictable future events, will assess the cognitive processes by which these expectancies develop and will investigate the mechanisms by which these expectancies influence behavior. These goals will be accomplished through experimental comparisons of the predictions made by two prominent learning theories regarding the nature of the experiences thought important for expectancies to develop control over behavior. The resulting information will provide a much clearer picture of which types of experience are necessary, and will thus provide important insight into the origins of the ability to anticipate events.
