The time course of learning a visual skill.
Several examples of experience-dependent perceptual improvement (perceptual learning) suggest that plasticity in specific neuronal loci could underlie the learning process. For a basic visual discrimination task (using an optimal stimulus for 'automatic' pre-attentive texture segregation), discrete retinal input-dependent changes within a very early stage in the stream of visual processing were indicated as the locus of a large and consistent learning effect. When do these changes occur? Here we report that except for a fast, rapidly saturating improvement early in the first practice session, performance was very stable within sessions. Indeed, observers showed little or no improvement until up to 8 hours after their last training session (latent phase). But large improvements occurred thereafter. Finally, there was almost no forgetting; what was gained was retained for at least 2-3 years. We conjecture that some types of perceptual experience trigger permanent neural changes in early processing stages of the adult visual system. These may take many hours to become functional.
Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
A
A
Karni
D
D
Sagi
D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*