Perceptual learning

The extent of adult improvement in not only complex but also simple percept ual tasks is remarkable. Although this phenomenon has been noted and studie d since the middle of the 19th century, recent advances in the study of bra in physiology and anatomy afford new insights. Improvement specificity sugg ests that changes involve early sensory cortical areas, previously thought to lose their plasticity following the first years. The critical role of se lective attention, even in learning the simplest tasks, as well as the prec edence of learning easy cases, suggests the involvement of high-level corti cal areas. Learning easy cases is more general than learning difficult case s. This pattern suggests the involvement of both high- and low-level areas in an orderly manner, with easy learning beginning at high-level areas and harder cases being resolved by access to low-level areas. The mapping of be havioral findings to underlying brain sites provides a unified framework fo r this interdisciplinary field.