Articles tagged with Perceptual Learning
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.
A new study found that hostile teachers can lower students' test scores by up to 5% due to antagonistic behavior. Students who faced teacher hostility were also less motivated to learn and more likely to disengage from future courses.
The study found that the brain uses a two-step process to learn and categorize visual and auditory stimuli, allowing for easy building on previous content to learn novel information. This discovery could lead to the development of new methods to restore sensory deficits in individuals with disabilities.
A recent study published in Sex Roles found that female cyberbullies and victims perceive school and learning as less important after experiencing online harassment. Researchers discovered that girls who engaged in cyberbullying felt the least accepted by their peers, which negatively impacted their attitudes towards education.
Learning to grasp an object with the backs of the hands increased sensitivity to motion near the hands, while finger-tips precision grasp enhanced spatial detail perception near the hands. These findings suggest that vision is tuned for action and visual biases adapt to recent experiences.
Researchers at Brown University used a novel MRI technique to induce people to perceive colors that weren't really there, targeting early visual areas of the brain. The study showed that associations were learned strongly enough to persist for up to five months.
Researchers found that learning and training improve perception in older adults, despite degraded tactile perception. Computer simulations revealed that the brain's compensatory mechanism is strengthened, resulting in enhanced brain activity and improved perception.
Researchers at Ruhr-University Bochum found a link between brain GABA levels and tactile learning, predicting learning success by baseline GABA levels. Higher GABA levels were associated with improved sensory learning potential.
A recent study published in Neuron reveals that the brain's visual cortex can differentiate between important and irrelevant images through practice. The researchers found that as mice learned to associate certain images with rewards, specific neurons in the brain became more responsive to those images.
Researchers at NYU have devised a computer model that explains how the brain classifies visual stimuli into distinct categories. The model, published in Nature Communications, reveals that top-down feedback projections from category-selective neurons to feature-coding neurons are essential for learning correct category boundaries.
Researchers at UC Riverside found that perceptual learning training improved contrast sensitivity and visual acuity for both younger and older adults. The study also produced an unexpected improvement in visual acuity for older adults after just five days of training.
Researchers found that older individuals take in more irrelevant visual information due to a decline in filtering out non-task relevant details. This suggests a failure of attentional systems to suppress task-irrelevant signals.
A new study reveals that playing action video games boosts learning capabilities by fostering better templates in the brain. Action gamers excel at tasks due to their improved ability to build and fine-tune models of the world, leading to accelerated learning curves and lasting effects.
A new study at Brown University reveals that conflict in learning tasks biases the brain to reduce the influence of reward and increase the influence of aversion to punishment. The researchers used EEG scans, genetic tests, and manipulation with a dopamine-related drug to gather evidence for this link. They found that people who learn ...
Eleanor Roosevelt integrated her domestic and global perspectives through radio broadcasting, showcasing her ability to balance public and private personas. Her pioneering use of radio allowed her to negotiate these contrasts effectively.
Researchers discovered that mice with Fragile X Syndrome exhibit perceptual learning deficits when using their whiskers to navigate through sensory-rich environments. This study may provide an effective model for investigating brain circuitry alterations and testing drugs to improve symptoms in children.
Researchers found that spotted seals have remarkably sensitive hearing in both air and water, detecting airborne sounds as well as terrestrial carnivores. In water, they hear almost as well as fully aquatic species like dolphins and porpoises, with a range of seven octaves.
Aaron Seitz, a University of California, Riverside neuroscientist, has been awarded a $1.7 million NIH grant to explore how different mechanisms of perceptual learning interact and develop better treatment options for individuals with visual defects.
A study by Dr. Susana T.L. Chung reveals that the visual system of older adults with central vision loss is still plastic and can be modified through experiences. Perceptual learning techniques targeting the preferred retinal location led to an average 50 percent increase in reading speed, improving daily functioning.
A new study shows that bilinguals who learn two languages early in life have separate processing modes or sound systems for each language. The research found that participants perceived 'ba' and 'pa' sounds differently depending on the context, with a shift in perception when switching between languages.
New research from the University of Notre Dame suggests that child learning and performance in counting tasks is affected by the type of object used. The study found that objects with high perceptual detail hindered performance when children already had established knowledge, but improved it when they didn't.
Researchers found that brain insufficiently processes sensory information, affecting learning. Alpha waves in EEG indicate brain readiness to exploit new information.
Researchers used decoded fMRI neurofeedback to induce brain activity patterns, improving visual performance and learning in a novel approach. The method worked even when test subjects were not aware of what they were learning.
A study found that service learning in a university-level horticulture course increased students' understanding of course material and their opinions on community involvement. Alumni reported improved confidence and awareness after the experience, highlighting its benefits for future careers.
Researchers found that when people use summary perception to perceive general properties of objects, they are unable to learn relationships between the objects. On the other hand, when there are relationships to be learned, people are worse at perceiving general properties.
Weizmann Institute scientists discover that adverse experiences can impair perception, making it harder to distinguish between similar stimuli. This finding may contribute to the development of anxiety disorders like post-traumatic stress syndrome.
A study from the University of California, Riverside and Boston University found that perceptual training can improve visual performance in elderly adults. The researchers used a texture discrimination test to demonstrate that repeated performance of visual tasks can lead to improved vision.
A study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln found that online students performed just as well as their in-person counterparts, despite feeling less connected to their peers. The study suggests that online courses could be more effective with strategies like one-on-one contact and timely feedback.
Researchers discovered that combining practice with additional sensory stimulation can lead to significant learning gains. This approach may reduce the effort required for learning and improve therapies for children with language learning impairments or adults seeking to enhance perceptual abilities.
A new study found that the Alzheimer's drug donepezil enhances perceptual learning in healthy adults, particularly in tasks involving motion direction discrimination. The researchers tested 12 healthy adults and showed a significant improvement in performance after training under the influence of donepezil compared to a placebo.
A new study by Indiana University researchers found that negative stereotypes can inhibit actual learning, not just performance, in math and science. Women who experience stereotype threat may have reduced learning and struggle to learn complex skills, which could worsen over time.
Researchers found that mental imagery training significantly improves performance in identifying anomalies on medical images and detecting the proximity of a central line in parallel lines. This suggests that thinking about something repeatedly can be as effective as doing it.
Researchers found that the brain uses local motion signals to learn global motion, contradicting previous assumptions. The study published in Journal of Vision suggests that local motion processes are more important for task-relevant perceptual learning of global motion than previously thought.
Researchers found that synesthetes share specific grapheme-color combinations and that these pairings are influenced by language use. The study also discovered a relationship between color saturation and linguistic frequency.
Researchers found that prolonged exposure to one odorant improves differentiation among related odors and reveals increased response in brain areas. The study suggests that humans naturally learn to identify thousands of different smells through experience-dependent neural plasticity.
Researchers found that humans can learn complex structures simultaneously from multiple sources, such as tones and colors or speech. However, performance drops when two sets of sequences are from the same perceptual class of stimuli, like two sets of speech stimuli.
Studies investigating subliminal learning have revealed a bottleneck in high-level processing that prevents unconscious, automatic learning during the attentional blink. However, subjects can learn from stimuli presented outside of this time window.
Researchers found that adults can improve their recognition of speech sounds in foreign languages through training. The study showed a significant improvement in recognition accuracy after a 10-session training course.
Researchers at Boston University found that the brain's ability to fill in gaps in visual information can be both beneficial and detrimental. The study showed that adults can develop a perceptual bias, seeing stimuli even when they are not present, which can lead to errors in perception and memory.
Researchers found that dyslexic children struggle to ignore 'noise' and isolate relevant visual and auditory cues, leading to reading problems. This ability is crucial for learning to read, as it allows individuals to distinguish between sounds in words.
Researchers found that severe head injury survivors can learn implicitly, despite impaired explicit learning and memory. This discovery holds promise for new approaches to remediation for CHI survivors, who often struggle with cognitive impairments.
Researchers found that surgeons with higher visual-spatial scores performed better in complex procedures and achieved similar competency after practice and feedback. The study aimed to understand the role of perceptual and cognitive abilities in learning surgical procedures.
A new study reveals that the amygdala plays a pivotal role in initiating memory storage by deciding which experiences are important enough to store based on emotional significance. The research uses male rabbits and temporarily disables the amygdala, leading to a breakdown of learning-related changes in other brain regions.
The University of Washington has established a $35.5 million center for mind, brain and learning to conduct innovative research on early brain and behavioral development. The center, in partnership with Talaris Research Institute, will focus on five major themes: brain plasticity, brain-behavior links, nature-nurture, computer vs. biol...
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions have identified key shapes and sizes used by the brain to build internal models of reality, enabling humans to learn and control movements. The study reveals fundamental limitations to what is learnable by the human brain, shedding light on how our brains 'think'.
Researchers found that learning decreases brain variability, leading to improved perception and performance. Practice enhances sensitivity to relevant information, allowing individuals to identify faces and patterns more accurately.
Researchers captured images of brain activity while students learned an associative task on a computer, revealing a network of brain activation. The study confirms that learning and awareness involve multiple regions acting in concert, contradicting the traditional view of the prefrontal cortex as sole responsible.
Researchers found strong neurological activity in zebra finch brain region involved in singing during sleep, suggesting a role in consolidating learned songs. The finding runs counter to the motor theory, proposing that birds subconsciously mimic sounds they hear while awake.
A study by researchers at UCSF found that mild electrical stimulation of the brain region responsible for sound processing can quickly bulk up and reform connections, potentially speeding up stroke recovery. This technique may help patients regain lost brain functions such as speech, accurate hearing, and movement.
Research suggests that virtual reality's immersive and multisensory features facilitate conceptual and three-dimensional learning of abstract science concepts. The study found that VR microworlds can provide experiential referents and enable students to perceive invisible factors and relationships, leading to improved understanding.
Ann Weaver Hart emphasizes the importance of scholarly exchange and interaction in advancing knowledge. She draws on Henry Steele Commager's work, stating that scholars are not isolated but rather dependent on colleagues worldwide, dedicated to a public search for truth.
Scientists have found that exposure to Pfiesteria toxin can cause significant learning deficits in rats, impairing their ability to learn new tasks but not memory recall. The study's findings suggest a growing human health concern and hazard to marine estuaries along the Atlantic coastal waters.
A recent article by John T. Bruer, Ph.D., states that neuroscience does not provide conclusive evidence to support the idea that children's early years are crucial for future learning outcomes. The brain remains adaptable and changeable throughout life in response to environmental stimuli.
Researchers at UT-Houston Medical School discovered that growth factor TGF-Beta plays a key role in forming long-term memories. The study found that TGF-Beta produces stronger electrical nerve cell connections, similar to those observed in animals with enhanced withdrawal response triggered by behavioral training.
Infants as young as 7 1/2 months old can distinguish one voice in a clutter of distracting background noise, enabling them to learn language more efficiently. This ability, known as the 'cocktail party effect,' is believed to play an important role in infants' language development by increasing the amount of information available to them.