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Discrimination learning induced by training with identical stimuli

Nature Neuroscience volume 9, pages 1446–1448 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Sensory stimuli become easier to detect or distinguish with practice. It is generally assumed that the task-relevant stimulus dimension becomes increasingly more salient as a result of attentively performing the task at a level that is neither too easy nor too difficult. However, here we show improved auditory frequency discrimination following training with physically identical tones that were impossible to discriminate. We also show that learning transfers across tone frequencies and across modalities: training on a silent visuospatial computer game improved thresholds on the auditory discrimination task. We suggest that three processes are necessary for optimal perceptual learning: sensitization through exposure to the stimulus, modality- and dimension-specific attention, and general arousal.

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Figure 1: Improvement in frequency discrimination with different types of training tasks.

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Acknowledgements

We thank L. Halliday and E. Vavasour for collecting the additional data presented in Supplementary Figure 2, and S. Cirstea and M. Edmondson-Jones for assistance with statistical analysis. This study was entirely supported by the Medical Research Council, UK.

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Author notes

  1. Sygal Amitay

    Present address: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, University College London Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

    Sygal Amitay, Amy Irwin & David R Moore

Authors
  1. Sygal Amitay
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  2. Amy Irwin
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Contributions

S.A. and D.R.M. designed the study and prepared the manuscript, and all authors contributed to planning the experiments. A.I. collected most of the data. S.A. analyzed the data.

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Correspondence to Sygal Amitay.

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Competing interests

D.R.M. declares that, as a director and shareholder in MindWeavers Ltd (see mindweaver.co.uk), there may be a perception of a conflict of interest with the results of this study. D.R.M. also declares, however, that the study was completed independently of MindWeavers and that the results were collected and analyzed by the other authors who have no involvement whatsoever in MindWeavers.

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Amitay, S., Irwin, A. & Moore, D. Discrimination learning induced by training with identical stimuli. Nat Neurosci 9, 1446–1448 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1787

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