Perceptual learning improves perceptual tasks through repeated experiences. Attention weighting, differentiation, imprinting, and unification are the four methods involved. William James played an important role in furthering studies of perceptual learning.
Perceptual learning is a style of improving perceptual tasks as a result of repeated experiences; auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory and visual can all be enhanced by this approach. The primary purpose of perceptual learning is to enable individuals to better respond to their environments. There are four main methods involved in this type of perception enhancement: attention weighting, differentiation, imprinting, and unification.
The perceptual learning process was one of the first behavioral concepts to receive significant attention and research. Documentation dates back to the 19th century, when experiments with tactile stimuli were conducted. Psychologist and philosopher William James played an important role in furthering studies of perceptual learning. He highly valued the experience and inferred that her experiences of him were the result of stimuli to which he chose to attend. This idea is the basis for all perceptual learning practices and is central to the four methods of modern perceptual learning.
In perceptual learning, attention weighting involves distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant stimuli. By identifying these types of cues, individuals are able, over time, to more naturally turn their attention to important stimuli and ignore the unimportant. One aspect of this involves differentiating between a signal in two different situations; in one context, a signal may be considered relevant, but in another context, it may be considered unnecessary. The distinction between the two is an important component of attention weighting.
The differentiation aspect of perceptual learning is the development of knowledge regarding the delineation, categorization and identification of different dimensions of stimuli. By dividing cues into appropriate categories, differentiation improves overall understanding and processing. An example of this could be math problems, a form of prompting that requires a breakdown, classification and labeling of numbers and their functions.
Imprinting is the act of training psychological receptors to respond to certain cues. This action, when repeated, encourages faster and smoother processing of stimuli. Receptors are developed over time and the mind is then imprinted with ingrained responses to specified cues.
In the unification stage of perceptual learning, tasks that may previously have involved several detailed steps are now condensed into a single step. For example, words and phrases can be learned individually as part of a larger body of information. When information needs to be recalled, unification ensures that it is recalled as a whole set of data, not just a jumble of disparate words and phrases.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
