Varieties of perceptual learning

Perceptual learning with complex visual stimuli is based on location, rather than content, of discriminating features.

“…In our current study, and many others, participants are instructed to look for differences between stimuli during the exposure phase. Assuming that they follow these instructions, then when they discover a way of distinguishing the critical stimuli (such as looking in a particular place) then this behaviour will be implicitly reinforced by the success of achieving the task that has been set for them (Mackintosh, 2009). While recognising the possibility of that people may deploy attention in this sort of strategic manner, Lavis et al (2011) downplay the importance of this possibility by suggesting that this account does not explain how different exposure schedules influence the ability to detect the location of distinctive features.…”

“…The contribution of strategic allocation of attention to particular regions of stimulus space, independent of any change in the representation properties or salience of the features that occur at that space, has formerly been cited as the logically possible confound (Mackintosh, 2009). …”

“…sucrose -X) is combined with one of two unique elements (e.g. salt or lemon -A/B) (e.g., Mackintosh, Kaye, & Bennett, 1991). This allows testing of the elements alone as a means of assessing the effects of perceptual learning on those elements themselves, and has provided evidence for both changes in stimulus salience (e.g., Blair & Hall, 2003;Blair, Wilkinson, & Hall, 2004), and for the development of mutual inhibition (e.g., Dwyer, Bennett, Mackintosh, 2001;Dwyer & Mackintosh, 2002).…”

Human and animal perceptual learning: Some common and some unique features

“…Fiser (2009) states that the problem of perceptual learning is to understand "how humans and animals extract novel visual descript tions, features, or chunks from their visual environment and represent them" (p. 142). These definitions of perceptual learning seem much broader than those of Hall f (2009) and Mackintosh (2009). Because the main aim of d the present article is to examine how the work of Fiser and of Tsushima and Watanabe might inform an associative analysis of perceptual learning, the narrower definition d will be adopted.…”

“…Mackintosh (2009) quotes Fahle's (2002, p. ix) definition, according to which perceptual learning "improves discrimination between stimuli that could not be discriminated before learning." Hall's (2009) definition of perceptual learning (originally stated in Hall, 2008) is very similar to Mackintosh's, but also hints at a mechanism by which improved discrimination might come about.…”