The essential role of stimulus temporal patterning in enabling perceptual learning.
Little is known about how temporal stimulus factors influence perceptual learning. Here we demonstrate an essential role of stimulus temporal patterning in enabling perceptual learning by showing that 'unlearnable' contrast and motion-direction discrimination (resulting from random interleaving of stimuli) can be readily learned when stimuli are practiced in a fixed temporal pattern. This temporal patterning does not facilitate learning by reducing stimulus uncertainty; further, learning enabled by temporal patterning can later generalize to randomly presented stimuli.
Kuai
Shu-Guang
SG
Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
Zhang
Jun-Yun
JY
Klein
Stanley A
SA
Levi
Dennis M
DM
Yu
Cong
C
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005795:Generalization, Stimulus; D006801:Humans; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors