Attention and relative novelty in human perceptual learning.

Wang, Tony; Mitchell, Chris

doi:10.1037/a0023104

Cited by 26 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(62 reference statements)

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“…One reason for this might be the nature of the pain-related network itself [Cauda et al, 2012], which is connected to other networks involved in emotional and cognitive processing [Cauda et al, 2012;Iannetti and Mouraux, 2010;Legrain et al, 2011]. Regulation of activation in these regions, even in the presence of a painful stimulus, will thus not inevitably lead to a change of pain perception, especially since pain perception is highly context-dependent [Iannetti et al, 2008;Rhudy and Meagher, 2000;Wang et al, 2010;Wang and Mitchell, 2011]. Moreover, during the regulation efforts the target regions are involved in multiple tasks including attention, pain processing, and cognitive and emotional processes such as regulation and evaluation of success.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Real time fMRI feedback of the anterior cingulate and posterior insular cortex in the processing of pain

et al. 2014

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Self-regulation of brain activation using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging has been used to train subjects to modulate activation in various brain areas and has been associated with behavioral changes such as altered pain perception. The aim of this study was to assess the comparability of upregulation versus downregulation of activation in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and left posterior insula (pInsL) and its effect on pain intensity and unpleasantness. In a first study, we trained 10 healthy subjects to separately upregulate and downregulate the blood oxygenation level-dependent response in the rACC or pInsL (six trials on 4 days) in response to painful electrical stimulation. The participants learned to significantly downregulate activation in pInsL and rACC and upregulate pInsL but not rACC. Success in the modulation of one region and direction of the modulation was not significantly correlated with success in another condition, indicating that the ability to control pain-related brain activation is site-specific. Less covariation between the areas in response to the nociceptive stimulus was positively correlated with learning success. Upregulation or downregulation of either region was unrelated to pain intensity or unpleasantness; however, our subjects did not learn rACC upregulation, which might be important for pain control. A significant increase in pain unpleasantness was found during upregulation of pInsL when covariation with the rACC was low. These initial results suggest that the state of the network involved in the processing of pain needs to be considered in the modulation of pain-evoked activation and its behavioral effects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Real time fMRI feedback of the anterior cingulate and posterior insular cortex in the processing of pain

et al. 2014

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“…Probably the simplest mechanism is that described by Honey and Bateson (1996), which follows directly from Wagner's (1981) SOP model. We have not yet discussed, however, how the unique features A and B are detected in the first place during intermixed exposure to AX and BX.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Location and salience of unique features in human perceptual learning.

Wang¹,

Lavis²,

Hall³

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes

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Preexposure to intermixed presentations of a pair of similar stimuli (AX and BX, where A and B represent distinctive features, and X the features the stimuli hold in common) facilitates subsequent discrimination between them. This perceptual learning effect has been interpreted as indicating that the loss of effective salience resulting from repeated presentation of a stimulus is attenuated or reversed by a salience-modulation process that operates on the unique stimulus features A and B during intermixed preexposure. In 3 experiments, we examined discrimination after intermixed preexposure to AX and BX, making comparison with a condition in which novel unique features were added to the preexposed background (CX and DX). In all experiments, we also monitored eye gaze during both preexposure and the test. Experiments 1 and 2 found discrimination of the preexposed stimuli to be superior. This result cannot be explained by salience-modulation theories that suppose that intermixed preexposure merely attenuates loss of salience to the unique features A and B; it suggests, rather, that intermixed preexposure to AX and BX enhances the salience of, or attention paid to, the distinctive features. Experiment 3 demonstrated that exposure increases sensitivity to the spatial location of the features, a conclusion confirmed by analysis of eye gaze.

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“…As we have noted, Bennett et al (1994) have shown for rats, that preexposure to X alone is enough to restrict generalization from AX to BX. Wang and Mitchell (2011; Experiment 2) have demonstrated a parallel effect in their procedure, finding enhanced performance (again on the same-different, AX-BX discrimination) when preexposure consisted simply of 120 presentations of X. Mundy et al (2007) have obtained a similar result using pictures of faces as the stimuli.…”

Section: Preexposure Facilitates Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 92%

Can theories of animal discrimination explain perceptual learning in humans?

Mitchell¹,

Hall²

2014

Psychological Bulletin

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We present a review of recent studies of perceptual learning conducted with nonhuman animals. The focus of this research has been to elucidate the mechanisms by which mere exposure to a pair of similar stimuli can increase the ease with which those stimuli are discriminated. These studies establish an important role for 2 mechanisms, one involving inhibitory associations between the unique features of the stimuli, the other involving a long-term habituation process that enhances the relative salience of these features. We then examine recent work investigating equivalent perceptual learning procedures with human participants. Our aim is to determine the extent to which the phenomena exhibited by people are susceptible to explanation in terms of the mechanisms revealed by the animal studies. Although we find no evidence that associative inhibition contributes to the perceptual learning effect in humans, initial detection of unique features (those that allow discrimination between 2 similar stimuli) appears to depend on an habituation process. Once the unique features have been detected, a tendency to attend to those features and to learn about their properties enhances subsequent discrimination. We conclude that the effects obtained with humans engage mechanisms additional to those seen in animals but argue that, for the most part, these have their basis in learning processes that are common to animals and people. In a final section, we discuss some implications of this analysis of perceptual learning for other aspects of experimental psychology and consider some potential applications.

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Attention and relative novelty in human perceptual learning.

Cited by 26 publications

References 25 publications

Real time fMRI feedback of the anterior cingulate and posterior insular cortex in the processing of pain

Real time fMRI feedback of the anterior cingulate and posterior insular cortex in the processing of pain

Location and salience of unique features in human perceptual learning.

Can theories of animal discrimination explain perceptual learning in humans?

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