Ransom, M., & Goldstone, R. L. (2024). Perceptual Learning. In M. C. Frank & A. Majid (Eds.), Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.4481de80

Perceptual learning is a change in perception due to practice or repeated exposure to a given category of stimuli. It is commonly measured via performance improvements in perceptual tasks. The study of perceptual learning can be separated into research on basic perceptual tasks, real-world perceptual expertise, and object recognition. Perceptual learning is distinct from other forms of learning in that it involves structural and functional changes to perceptual systems. It can occur under a wide variety of conditions, such as with or without feedback, task relevance, and conscious attention. Open questions include whether a single perceptual learning model can accommodate this wide variety of conditions, and what neural and psychological mechanisms underlie perceptual learning. Practical applications include improving expert performance and treating pathologies such as amblyopia (lazy eye). Recent philosophical debate over perceptual learning includes whether high-level (more complex) properties are represented in perception, whether perception is theory laden or penetrated by cognition as a result, and whether there can be “bad” or biased cases of perceptual learning. 

Read the paper at the Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science