Learning to See and Conceive

Abstract

Human concept learning depends upon perception. Our concept of "car" is built out of perceptual features such as "engine," "tire," and "bumper." However, recent research indicates that the dependency works both ways. We see bumpers and engines in part because we have acquired "car" concepts and detected examples of them. Perception both influences and is influenced by the concepts that we learn. We have been exploring the psychological mechanisms by which concepts and perception mutually influence one another, and building computational models to show that the circle of influences is benign rather than vicious. Perceptual Learning Is "Early" Neurologically, Functionally, and DevelopmentallyAn initial suggestion that concept learning influences perception comes from a consideration of the differences between novices and experts. Experts in many domains, including radiologists, wine tasters, and Olympic judges, develop specialized perceptual tools for analyzing the objects in their domains of expertise. Much of training and expertise involves not only developing a database of cases or explicit strategies for dealing with the world but also tailoring perceptual processes to more efficiently represent the world (Gibson 1991). Tuning one's perceptual representation to the environment is a risky proposition. Once a perceptual representation has been altered, it affects all "downstream" processes that act as consumers of this altered representation. It makes sense to adapt perceptual systems slowly and conservatively. However, the payoffs for perceptual flexibility are also too enticing to forego. They allow an organism to respond quickly, efficiently, and effectively to stimuli without dedicating on-line attentional resources. Instead of strategically determining how to use an unbiased perceptual representation to fit one's needs, it is often easier to rig up a perceptual system to give task-relevant representations, and then simply leave this rigging in place without strategic control. Perceptual learning is early in several senses: neurological, functional, and developmental.

Developing Synaesthesia

“…And similarly, "low-level" cognitive operations are fundamentally grounded in our perceptual capabilities (Schyns et al, 1998;Goldstone and Hendrickson, 2010). Much evidence exists that perception affects cognition such as belief acquisition and formation of concepts (Prinz and Barsalou, 2000;Goldstone et al, 2008;Barsalou, 2009Barsalou, , 2012. This supports the hypothesis of concept empiricism, according to which conceptual representations and abstract conceptual knowledge are perceptually based.…”

Categorization training increases the perceptual separability of novel dimensions

“…There is a large body of work suggesting that categorization training does produce changes in perceptual representations of the stimuli involved (for recent reviews, see Goldstone, Gerganov, Landy, & Roberts, 2009;Goldstone & Hendrickson, 2010). Stimulus dimensions that are relevant for category discrimination become more distinctive, in what has been termed ''acquired distinctiveness.''…”

Neural correlates of acquired color category effects

“…There is converging evidence that the way in which we see the world is influenced by our concepts and categories (e.g., Goldstone, Gerganov, Landy, & Roberts, 2008;Kay & Kempton, 1984;Lupyan, Thompson-Schill, & Swingley, 2010). For example, cross-linguistic differences in the expression of categories or concepts can lead to corresponding differences in performance on 'perceptual' tasks such as visual search or same-different judgment tasks.…”