Moderators and Mediators of Perceptual Learning
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Summary
This is a research study about how training can impact performance on cognitive tasks. Participants are between 18 and 30 and 60 to 85 years of age, have normal (or corrected to normal) vision, and have no neurological conditions that would preclude their ability to complete computerized cognitive tasks. Up to 1140 participants will be on study for up to 8 weeks.
Description
This study addresses the fundamental issue of specificity and generality of training in the context of Perceptual Learning (PL). PL broadly encompasses the set of mechanisms through which experience with the environment gives rise to changes in perceptual processing. Careful research in this domain can greatly enhance basic understanding of the perceptual systems and the plasticity of these systems. Furthermore, translational approaches underpinned by the basic science of PL are becoming increasingly prominent. This includes a host of emerging translational approaches for the rehabilitation of…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–85 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * between18 and 30 years of age (younger cohort) * between 60 and 85 years of age (older cohort) * Corrected vision of 20/40 or better (as assessed with an eye chart) * No reported incidence of retinal pathology or neurological disease Exclusion Criteria: * Corrected vision of 20/40 or worse * Evidence of retinal pathology or retinal disease
Interventions
- BehavioralC1 - Standard Perceptual Learning (SPL)
Each trial starts with a fixation point (500ms) after which a Gabor (1° radius, at cut-off SF of 25% accuracy, estimated from Pre-Test CSF, at either 45° or 135°) appears for 128ms. The task is to indicate whether the Gabor was tilted left or right. Gabor contrast will be controlled by a 3/1 staircase (converging on approximately \~80% contrast threshold) across all training sessions.
- BehavioralC2 - Long Training (LT)
Will be the same as the SPL with the exception that each session in LT will be twice as long as in SPL.
- BehavioralC3 - Short Staircases (SS)
Will be largely the same as SPL with the only difference being a change to the adaptive procedure. SS will use so-called "short-staircases," which are initialized at 60% contrast with steps of .05 log units and employs a 3/1 staircase that after every 40 trials is reset (the "short" in "short-staircases") back to 60% contrast.
- BehavioralC4 - Mixed Difficulty (MD)
This condition will be identical to SPL with the exception that two staircases - one a 2/1 staircase producing difficulties centered around 60-70% accuracy, the other a 4/1 staircase producing difficulties centered around 85-95% accuracy - will be utilized to control the stimuli.
Locations (3)
- University of CaliforniaRiverside, California
- Northeastern UniversityBoston, Massachusetts
- University of WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin