Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
Published on: November 2, 2012
The neural basis of visual object learning
Hans P Op de Beeck1, Chris I Baker
1Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven (K.U.Leuven), Tiensestraat 102, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. hans.opdebeeck@psy.kuleuven.be <hans.opdebeeck@psy.kuleuven.be>
Abstract:
Object vision in human and nonhuman primates is often cited as a primary example of adult plasticity in neural information processing. It has been hypothesized that visual experience leads to single neurons in the monkey brain with strong selectivity for complex objects, and to regions in the human brain with a preference for particular categories of highly familiar objects. This view suggests that adult visual experience causes dramatic local changes in the response properties of high-level visual cortex. Here, we review the current neurophysiological and neuroimaging evidence and find that the available data support a different conclusion: adult visual experience introduces moderate, relatively distributed effects that modulate a pre-existing, rich and flexible set of neural object representations.
Related Concept Videos
Observational Learning
Vision
Visual System
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
Associative Learning
Classical conditioning, also known...
Purposive Learning
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...

