Moderators and Mediators of Perceptual Learning
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 our 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 both perceptual deficits and for cognitive training, which are believed to share cortical plasticity mechanisms. However, while existing research provides evidence that PL approaches can improve perceptual skills, our ability to develop effective interventions is limited by a lack of understanding of the behavioral outcomes associated with different PL approaches. One major obstacle to successful translation of PL is that the field to-date has been strongly driven by "novel" and "provocative" findings demonstrated via small N studies with very few projects digging deep to achieve robust and reliable results. In turn, not surprisingly, the field of PL, like many others in psychology, has suffered from numerous replication challenges. Here we address these limitations by comparing a large number of different training tasks using common outcome measures and in a large subject population. Each training tasks involves a different "critical feature" for learning proposed by one or more research groups. However, these training tasks have never been directly compared or contrasted. Robust and reliable results will be achieved by training a large sample of participants on PL tasks and assess the outcomes via a common set of measures. The investigators will also collect a broad assessment of individual differences, which will provide a unique dataset that can resolve controversies in the literature and lead to new understandings. Our proposed analytical approach tests several key hypotheses in the field, explores the extent to which different training approaches lead to systematically different profiles of learning, and examines how these can differ based upon the individuals being trained.
Conditions:
🦠 Cognitive Change
🗓️ Study Start (Actual) 14 April 2023
🗓️ Primary Completion (Estimated) 28 February 2027
✅ Study Completion (Estimated) 31 March 2027
👥 Enrollment (Estimated) 1140
🔬 Study Type INTERVENTIONAL
📊 Phase NA
Locations:
📍 Riverside, California, United States
📍 Boston, Massachusetts, United States
📍 Madison, Wisconsin, United States

📋 Eligibility Criteria

Description

    Inclusion Criteria:

    • * 18 and 30 years of age
    • * 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
Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years to 30 Years (ADULT)
Sexes Eligible for Study: ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

🗓️ Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

  • First Submitted 12 May 2023
  • First Submitted that Met QC Criteria 31 May 2023
  • First Posted 8 June 2023

Study Record Updates

  • Last Update Submitted that Met QC Criteria 20 June 2024
  • Last Update Posted 21 June 2024
  • Last Verified June 2024