Using short-range predictions to scaffold long-range predictions

This study uses tone sequences to investigate participants’ responses to rare target stimuli with long-range temporal dependencies. Experiment 1 tests the effect of short-range predictions on tracking long-range regularities. We hypothesize that when a tone sequence contains short-range predictive regularities in pitch and timing, participants will be able to use the short-range predictions to scaffold tracking of longer-range temporal intervals, such that responses to targets are facilitated. Experiment 2 tests the effect of short-range predictions when long-range regularities are removed. We hypothesize that any facilitation of RT observed in Experiment 1 cannot be explained by a general effect in which short-range predictions facilitate responses to the occasional targets: if short-range predictions are specifically used to scaffold long-range predictions, performance should be attenuated when the long-range temporal dependencies predicting target appearance are removed.