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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
09:15
The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice
Published on: February 4, 2015
Long-term abstract learning of attentional set
Andrew B Leber1, Jun-Ichiro Kawahara, Yuji Gabari
1Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA. andrew.leber@unh.edu
Summary
Past experience shapes visual search strategy by establishing long-term abstract learning, not just immediate task persistence. This learning guides attentional set even when specific features change.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Past experience influences current decision-making and behavior.
- Attentional set, or visual search strategy, can be shaped by prior training.
- Previous studies suggest observers persist with previously required attentional sets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the influence of past experience on attentional set is due to immediate perseveration or long-term learning.
- To determine if this learning is feature-specific (e.g., color) or more abstract.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Tested participants' visual search strategy after a training phase, with a delay of up to one week between training and testing to rule out perseveration.
- Experiments 2 & 3: Switched stimulus colors between training and testing phases to assess the abstractness of learned strategies.
Main Results:
- The training effect on attentional set persisted even after a significant delay (Experiment 1), supporting long-term learning.
- The training effect remained even when stimulus colors were changed, indicating abstract learning rather than feature-specific learning (Experiments 2 & 3).
Conclusions:
- Attentional set is significantly influenced by long-term abstract learning derived from past experience.
- This learning is not limited to specific features but represents a more generalized strategy guiding visual search.
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