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Updated: Jan 31, 2026
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Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
Published on: November 2, 2012
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Perceptual learning.
1Department of Philosophy, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science
|December 21, 2018
Summary
Perceptual learning, driven by practice, enhances perception. This review examines if learning truly changes perception or involves attention, action, and decision-making, impacting the perception-cognition divide.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Philosophy of Mind
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Perceptual learning, a long-studied phenomenon, involves lasting perceptual changes from experience.
- Research continues to uncover the complex cognitive and neural mechanisms driving perceptual learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the concept of perceptual learning and its underlying mechanisms.
- To explore current debates regarding the nature of perceptual change, the role of attention, and its implications for the perception-cognition divide.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of perceptual learning research.
- Analysis of philosophical and psychological debates on perceptual change.
- Examination of cognitive and neural evidence.
Main Results:
- Debates persist on whether perceptual learning constitutes genuine perceptual alteration or changes in action, attention, or decision-making.
- The necessity of attention for perceptual learning remains contested; it may occur with mere exposure.
- Perceptual learning challenges traditional distinctions between perception and cognition.
Conclusions:
- Perceptual learning is a multifaceted process with ongoing debate about its fundamental nature.
- Understanding perceptual learning requires integrating cognitive, neural, and philosophical perspectives.
- The review highlights key areas for future research into how we learn to perceive.
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