title: Short-term perceptual learning in visual conjunction search.
abstract: Although some studies showed that training can improve the ability of cross-dimension conjunction search, less is known about the underlying mechanism. Specifically, it remains unclear whether training of visual conjunction search can successfully bind different features of separated dimensions into a new function unit at early stages of visual processing. In the present study, we utilized stimulus specificity and generalization to provide a new approach to investigate the mechanisms underlying perceptual learning (PL) in visual conjunction search. Five experiments consistently showed that after 40 to 50 min of training of color-shape/orientation conjunction search, the ability to search for a certain conjunction target improved significantly and the learning effects did not transfer to a new target that differed from the trained target in both color and shape/orientation features. However, the learning effects were not strictly specific. In color-shape conjunction search, although the learning effect could not transfer to a same-shape different-color target, it almost completely transferred to a same-color different-shape target. In color-orientation conjunction search, the learning effect partly transferred to a new target that shared same color or same orientation with the trained target. Moreover, the sum of transfer effects for the same color target and the same orientation target in color-orientation conjunction search was algebraically equivalent to the learning effect for trained target, showing an additive transfer effect. The different transfer patterns in color-shape and color-orientation conjunction search learning might reflect the different complexity and discriminability between feature dimensions. These results suggested a feature-based attention enhancement mechanism rather than a unitization mechanism underlying the short-term PL of color-shape/orientation conjunction search.
authors.affiliation: Brain and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University.
authors.forename: Yuling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Brain and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University.
authors.forename: Yunpeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Brain and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University.
authors.forename: Wanyi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Brain and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Brain and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Brain and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University.
authors.forename: Yulong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors; D014163:Transfer, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult