Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 20, 2026
07:12
Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss
Published on: April 11, 2025
1.1K
Reference-frame specificity of perceptual learning: the effect of practice
Tommaso Mastropasqua1, Massimo Turatto2
1Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 31, 38068 Rovereto, Italy.
Vision Research
|November 30, 2014
Summary
Perceptual learning shows specificity, meaning improved skills don't transfer to new conditions. This study reveals a new type: reference-frame specificity, where learning is tied to mental orientation frames, not just visual input.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Perceptual learning is characterized by specificity, limiting skill transfer to trained visual attributes like location or orientation.
- Previous research identified specificity related to the trained task and attended stimulus features.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel form of specificity in perceptual learning termed 'reference-frame specificity'.
- To determine if this specificity arises independently of changes in sensory input or attended features.
Main Methods:
- Developed a paradigm to test orientation discrimination tasks.
- Manipulated the mental frame of reference (vertical vs. horizontal) used during training.
- Assessed the transfer of learned discriminative ability across different reference frames.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated reference-frame specificity, where improved performance was confined to the trained mental frame of reference.
- Found that prolonged practice exacerbated this reference-frame specificity.
- Showed that this specificity is distinct from changes in sensory input or attended stimulus features.
Conclusions:
- Perceptual learning can exhibit specificity related to the internal mental frame of reference used for a task.
- Reference-frame specificity is influenced by practice duration.
- Findings support the 'selective reweighting' hypothesis of perceptual learning.
Keywords:
Decision criterionPerceptual learningReference frameSelective reweightingSpecificityTrainingMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:21Cognitive Learning
1.6K
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight 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...
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...
1.6K
01:12Perceptual Constancy
1.8K
Perceptual constancy is the ability to recognize that objects remain consistent and unchanged even when their appearance varies due to changes in sensory input. There are four main types of perceptual constancy: size constancy, shape constancy, color constancy, and brightness constancy.
Size constancy is the recognition that an object remains the same size, even when its image on the retina changes. For instance, a bus is perceived to be large enough to carry people, even if it looks tiny from...
Size constancy is the recognition that an object remains the same size, even when its image on the retina changes. For instance, a bus is perceived to be large enough to carry people, even if it looks tiny from...
1.8K
01:22Purposive Learning
667
E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a...
667
01:26Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
2.4K
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or...
2.4K
01:28Perception
1.8K
Perception is a fundamental psychological process that enables individuals to organize, interpret, and consciously experience sensory information. This process is crucial for understanding and interacting with the world around us. It includes both bottom-up and top-down processing, each playing a distinct role in how we perceive our environment.
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...
1.8K
01:25Factors Affecting Perception
3.2K
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
3.2K