Human category learning

Much recent evidence suggests some dramatic differences in the way people learn perceptual categories, depending on exactly how the categories were constructed. Four different kinds of category-learning tasks are currently popular-rule-based tasks, information-integration tasks, prototype distortion...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of psychology 2005-01, Vol.56 (1), p.149-178
Main Authors: ASHBY, F. Gregory, MADDOX, W. Todd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition. Intelligence
Corpus Striatum - physiology
Feedback
Frontal Lobe - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Learning
Learning - physiology
Medical imaging
Memory - physiology
Mental imagery. Mental representation
Nerve Net - physiology
Neurology
Neuropsychology - methods
Perception - physiology
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Theory
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Much recent evidence suggests some dramatic differences in the way people learn perceptual categories, depending on exactly how the categories were constructed. Four different kinds of category-learning tasks are currently popular-rule-based tasks, information-integration tasks, prototype distortion tasks, and the weather prediction task. The cognitive, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging results obtained using these four tasks are qualitatively different. Success in rule-based (explicit reasoning) tasks depends on frontal-striatal circuits and requires working memory and executive attention. Success in information-integration tasks requires a form of procedural learning and is sensitive to the nature and timing of feedback. Prototype distortion tasks induce perceptual (visual cortical) learning. A variety of different strategies can lead to success in the weather prediction task. Collectively, results from these four tasks provide strong evidence that human category learning is mediated by multiple, qualitatively distinct systems.
ISSN:0066-4308
1545-2085
DOI:10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070217