[Texture discrimination and visual search: development, learning and plasticity].
BACKGROUND
The abilities to segment coherent surfaces out of a discrepant background (texture segmentation) and to localize single objects out of a complex scene (visual search) are believed to occur at a peripheral level in the cortical visual pathway.


OBJECTIVE
Are texture segmentation and visual search innate or acquired? Can these abilities be improved in adulthood by learning? Does a disturbed early visual experience (strabismus, amblyopia) lead to a reduction of these abilities?


RESULTS
Texture segmentation and visual search undergo a protracted development which continues well into adulthood. Even in adult observers, these abilities can be improved with practice. Learning is enduring, but not specific: It can be transferred from one task to another and between the two eyes of a given subject (including the two eyes of stereoblind subjects).


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that learning of texture segmentation and visual search does not involve the specific features of a visual scene, but rather reflects an improved strategy of localizing visual objects in a cluttered environment. This type of learning probably occurs at a very high level of cortical processing.
Sireteanu
R
R
Max-Planck-Institut für Hirnforschung, Frankfurt/M.
Rettenbach
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000503:physiopathology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003290:Convergence, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005364:Field Dependence-Independence; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology