Articles tagged with Perceptual Learning
A study at Uppsala University found that infant face preference is influenced by genes and linked to later language development. The researchers analyzed over 500 infant twins and found that individual infants' preferences for faces could be largely explained by their genetics.
Researchers developed three diffractive deep neural networks using orbital angular momentum to recognize objects in images, achieving accuracy comparable to wavelength and polarization-based models. The technology has potential for real-time processing applications like image recognition and data-intensive tasks.
Researchers found that babies as young as four months old display enhanced somatosensory brain activity when a touch is preceded by an object moving towards them. This suggests that even in the first few months of life, babies can sense their surroundings and understand how their bodies interact with space.
A team of researchers, including York University, used a mouse model to test how the brain learns new sensory input patterns. They found that the brain's response to image patterns that violate expectations evolves differently over time, suggesting a distinct role in sensory learning.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that people can quickly identify another person's epistemic goals by watching their actions. This study reveals a key aspect of human cognition with implications for artificial intelligence. The team discovered that observers could accurately determine whether someone was trying to learn so...
A study by Dr Lixin Ren found that extracurricular activities have a limited impact on math skills in preschool children, with effects dependent on behavioral regulation and approaches to learning. For children with poor self-regulation skills, structured activities can improve early math skills.
A team of scientists discovered two types of neurons in fruit flies and mice that enable them to identify distinct smells. With experience, these animals can learn to differentiate between very similar odors, a process that could improve machine-learning models and AI systems.
Researchers found that chronic cocaine users have altered neural error signals when evaluating rewards, leading to poorer decision-making and a higher risk of relapse. The study provides strong evidence for the underlying mechanisms of addiction and may lead to new treatment strategies.
A study by Duke University psychologists finds that White people tend to see Multiracial faces as Black, while Black people see them as White. Multiracial participants show less bias when forced to choose one race, categorizing faces as White more often than Black.
A new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that reattribution of pain to mind or brain processes can lead to significant reductions in chronic back pain intensity. Participants who received pain reprocessing therapy reported being pain-free or nearly so after treatment, compared to those receiving placebo controls.
A team of researchers studied Claudio, a person with an inverted head position, to investigate the reasons behind human face recognition. They found that Claudio's performance in detecting and matching faces was not significantly different from that of typical individuals when faces were upright or inverted.
A new UCLA study reveals that subjects consistently perceive players in jerseys numbered from 10 to 19 as thinner than those in jerseys numbered from 80 to 89, even when body sizes are the same. This finding suggests that learned associations between numbers and sizes influence perception of body size.
A University of Missouri researcher created an evidence-based, online professional development curriculum to help teachers recognize, respond to, and prevent bullying towards students with disabilities. The curriculum emphasizes building rapport, social skills, and communication skills to improve classroom climates and reduce bullying.
A team of researchers from the University of Zurich and Intel has developed an AI system called Swift that can beat human champions in drone racing. The autonomous drone achieved the fastest lap, winning multiple races against three world-class champions, but human pilots proved more adaptable to changing conditions.
Researchers found that liraglutide improves associative learning in people with obesity by restoring brain activity to normal-weight levels. The study showed that participants with obesity had reduced ability to associate sensory stimuli and decreased brain activity compared to those with normal weight.
Researchers found that locusts have a clear preference for certain odors, such as grass and banana, while avoiding others like almond and citrus. They developed a model explaining how innate and learned preferences are generated in the locust's olfactory system.
Researchers used a mathematical theory called the free energy principle to predict how real neural networks learn and organize themselves. The study successfully mimicked this process in rat embryo neurons grown in a culture dish, demonstrating the principle's guiding force behind biological neural network learning.
Researchers found that people generalize expectations of pain to conceptually related tasks, leading to avoided activities and reduced mobility. Participants learned to associate certain routes with pain and extended this association to other tasks in the same category.
Researchers found that while parents and educators recognize the benefits of nature play, they struggle with certain aspects, particularly risk. A key move will be to boost educators' knowledge about nature-based learning to promote enabling factors.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have created a new model, Vision-Robotics Bridge, which enables robots to learn from observing humans complete tasks in any environment. The robots successfully learned 12 tasks, including opening drawers and picking up objects, with minimal practice time of just 25 minutes.
A yearlong science program with family members led to increased interest in STEM subjects and a lifelong engagement. Children who participated showed more enthusiasm for science and were more likely to envision themselves as scientists, while their families reported renewed interest in science at home.
A new approach to enhance artificial intelligence-powered computer vision technologies has been developed by UCLA researchers, adding physics-based awareness to data-driven techniques. This hybrid methodology aims to improve how AI-based machinery sense, interact, and respond to their environment in real time.
Research by Professor Mila Vulchanova reveals associations between language development and cognitive skills in children. Non-verbal tests show that severity of language difficulties can be predicted based on cognitive markers, supporting the importance of measuring both verbal and non-verbal skills.
A new study published in the Journal of Cognition and Development found that preschoolers aged three and five prefer learning from a competent robot over an incompetent human. The research, conducted by Concordia University researchers, used humanoid robots to teach children about unfamiliar objects. Five-year-olds were more likely to ...
A new study by University of Houston psychologist Adam Fetterman found that neighborhood apps are associated with inaccurate perceptions of higher local crime rates. The frequent use of such services by a large portion of the population suggests important implications for perceptions and behaviors related to people's neighborhoods.
Researchers developed memristors based on halogenated perovskite nanocrystals for more powerful and energy-efficient computing. Inspired by the human brain's synapses, these components combine data storage and processing, reducing energy consumption.
A Dartmouth study found that COVID-19 can cause 'prosopagnosia,' or face blindness, and impairments in navigational abilities. Researchers worked with a patient who experienced difficulty recognizing faces and navigating, leading to dissociation between face recognition and cognitive map representation.
Researchers found that rats adopt a non-greedy strategy to balance speed and accuracy, sacrificing immediate rewards for improved learning outcomes. The study suggests that slower reaction times lead to faster learning and higher rewards in both experimental and simulated environments.
A study with human subjects found that varying training conditions led to better generalization of task performance, even in the presence of irrelevant stimuli. This suggests that more variability in training can lead to improved learning outcomes by enabling the brain to create invariant representations.
A two-year study by Rutgers researcher Jinjing Jenny Wang found that babies between 14 and 19 months old benefit from watching counting videos, engaging them with real-life scenarios. The study's findings suggest these videos could reduce disparities in children who may not receive enough counting exposure from caregivers.
Researchers investigated how the order of eating affects bitter taste perception using chicory and coffee substitutes. They found that consuming chicory or coffee substitute after roasted coffee reduces bitterness, while consuming roasted coffee before chicory has no effect.
Researchers at WVU are developing software for robots to learn and adapt in real-time, inspired by the neural networks of electric fish. The goal is to enable robots to navigate different terrains autonomously without human supervision.
A team from UNIGE and EPFL discovered that too much or too little motivation can blur sensory information and affect decision-making. In a state of hyper-motivation, rodents performed poorly, while moderate motivation led to optimal choice. These results open up new perspectives in learning methods.
Researchers found that infants differentiate sounds based on neighboring sounds and vowel durations. Their study suggests that babies can learn the speech contrasts of their language through naturalistic speech data.
A recent ECU study discovered that tRNS can enhance neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to form new pathways and connections. This technology has shown promise as a tool to assist individuals with learning difficulties or neurological conditions.
The project seeks to create accessible maker programs for blind and visually impaired learners, developing training materials for librarians and maker professionals. The initiative aims to enhance BVI learners' computational thinking skills and STEM interests, while helping librarians become more confident in working with BVI populations.
Researchers propose a new learning method for individuals with autism, utilizing 'memory flashes' to accelerate learning and improve visual perception capabilities. The study showed significant improvement in both learning speed and generalization of skills, even under new conditions.
A new study has discovered the neuronal changes that occur during learning to improve discrimination of closely related visual images. Researchers found that experience-driven changes in neural activity enhance discriminations relevant to task performance at the expense of other related discriminations.
A novel algorithm, BLIND, enables robots to navigate through environments with obstacles by incorporating human feedback. Humans provide labels to refine the robot's trajectory, avoiding obstacles efficiently.
A study of over 25,000 medical graduates found that gay, lesbian, and bisexual students perceive their medical school learning environments as less favorable, leading to increased burnout. The findings highlight the need for improved support systems and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ students in medical education.
A new virtual reality (VR) experience is educating children aged 10-12 about bushfires, helping them learn how to be safer in emergencies. The project demonstrates the effectiveness of immersive VR experiences in delivering positive learning outcomes for primary children.
Research finds that brain circuit strength is linked to a child's ability to understand numbers. A four-week number sense training program targeting the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and hippocampus improved learning outcomes for elementary school-aged children across abilities.
The special issue of the ECNU Review of Education examines how digital shift, international student mobility, and assessment methods impact student learning in higher education. Research reveals that offline interaction generates more desirable academic outcomes, while online education fosters student autonomy and thesis completion.
The study found that while some students felt a sense of loss due to limited access, others saw the challenge as an opportunity to problem-solve and build flexibility. The researchers emphasize the importance of interpersonal relationships and instructors' resources in enhancing educational experiences.
A mixed-methods survey found that pain science education helped people recover from chronic pain by understanding it was not tissue damage and that stress and emotion could heighten perceptions. The study also identified seven learning objectives to help teenagers better understand pain, including reframing perceptions of pain as an 'o...
A new study found that handwriting helps people learn certain skills faster and significantly better than learning through typing or watching videos. The writing group outperformed the other groups in recognizing letters, spelling, and reading unfamiliar words.
Scientists have identified a unique subset of inhibitory cells in the amygdala known as apITC, which modulates plasticity in fear learning. The apITC connects to various regions, including thalamic processing centers and sensory areas, to regulate fear-related responses.
A study by University of Sussex scientists suggests that neurons in the sensory cortex can decipher meaning and regulate bodily responses. Researchers found that even in sensory parts of the cortex, there were neurons directly linking learned sequences to motor responses, and some responded to rewards or outcomes.
A new study by YANG Jia and colleagues identified both task-specific and subject-invariant components of perceptual learning ability, revealing multifaceted nature of learning and strong evidence for consistent pattern of individual differences across multiple training tasks.
Neuroscientists at Ruhr-University Bochum have found that the thalamus plays a key role in decision-making during learning, while the insular cortex is active when participants make correct or incorrect decisions. This suggests that expectations influence brain activity and sensory perception.
Researchers found that brain regions involved in taste also activate when thinking about food origin. The study used functional MRI to monitor brain activity while participants answered questions about words from different categories.
A new study found a sharp increase in medical students disclosing disabilities, leading to more accommodations and a potential improvement in patient care. Despite the rise, students with disabilities still represent less than 5% of future physicians.
Researchers found that linguistic similarity between the learner's first language and Dutch accounted for 50% of explained variance in learners' proficiency. This suggests that language instruction tailored to a learner's first language can be more effective, corroborating an important insight from research on teaching adults
Researchers found that optimal learning occurs when failure rates are 15%, resulting in 85% accuracy. This '85% Rule' is based on machine-learning experiments and may apply to human perceptual learning as well.
A new Harvard study shows that students in 'active learning' classrooms learn more than they think, contradicting long-held beliefs about the effectiveness of traditional lectures. The study found that students felt like they learned more from lectures but actually scored higher on tests following active learning sessions.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an automated, robotic training device that allows mice to learn at their own pace. They found that cortical synapses are more plastic than expected and maintain a pathway for fast sensory input.
A new study at Brown University found that using arbitrary categories can improve the transfer of visual learning to real-life skills. Participants trained on categorizing blurry striped circles showed significant improvement in recognizing patches with the same angle, even when not training specifically on it.
Infants may be more adept at associating words with objects when exposed to Mandarin Chinese sound structures. Researchers studied how lexical tones impact an infant's ability to learn new language, revealing that babies can apply knowledge from their native language to learn words in a new tongue.
The Exploratorium has launched its new Global Climate Change Explorer website, offering a platform for the public to engage with climate data and scientific research. The site features five areas of exploration, including Atmosphere, Oceans and Water, Ice, Land and Living Systems, and Looking Ahead.
Researchers discovered that visual perceptual learning can undergo reconsolidation, with a reconsolidation window closing before 3.5 hours after initial recall. The study also found similarities between consolidation and reconsolidation processes in the brain.