Contextual cueing and implicit learning

描述（申请人提供）：该建议研究了一种强大的内隐视觉学习形式-上下文线索（Chun & Jiang，1998）。语境线索化反映了内隐学习的视觉语境对注意的影响。在这项任务中，受试者在“L“中寻找“T”。当由所有项目形成的空间布局偶尔重复时，在重复显示中的搜索比在新显示中的搜索更快，这表明重复的上下文“提示”对目标位置的注意。情境线索是（1）快速的，在4-5次重复后获得，（2）持久的，持续至少一周，（3）内隐的，不需要有意识的努力来学习。这项建议有四个具体目标。1.情境提示是自动的还是注意依赖的？为了找出答案，受试者将被要求注意一个子集的项目，忽略其他的和学习的忽略重复将被衡量。2.受试者是学习由所有项目形成的整体空间布局，还是学习单个项目的位置？为此，我们将衡量是否上下文提示转移到显示器的全球背景或本地背景被选择性地破坏。3.个体在语境提示中的差异程度如何？这种差异的来源是什么？我们将测量个体的线索效应和其他认知能力之间的相关性，如数字广度，视觉短期记忆能力和中央执行功能。4.编码的共同大脑区域是否显示重复和学习一致的关联？在这里，我们将使用功能磁共振成像来测量大脑区域的重要重复处理和联想学习。这一提议对健康有直接的影响，因为与外显学习和记忆不同，内隐学习在许多患者群体、低智商人群、幼儿和老年人中基本上都保留了下来。情境线索是内隐学习的一种有效形式。理解其认知和神经机制是理解正常成年人以及外显学习和记忆机制受损的人的这种能力的第一步。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal investigates a powerful form of implicit visual learning - contextual cueing (Chun & Jiang, 1998). Contextual cueing reflects the influence of attention by implicitly-learned visual context. In this task, subjects search for a "T" among "L"s. When the spatial layout formed by all items repeats occasionally, search is faster among the repeated displays than among the new ones, suggesting that the repeated context "cues" attention to the target position. Contextual cueing is (1) fast, acquired after 4-5 repetitions, (2) long-lasting, persisting for at least a week, and (3) implicit, requiring no conscious effort to learn. This proposal has four specific Aims. 1. Is contextual cueing automatic or attention-dependent? To find out, subjects will be asked to attend to a subset of items and ignore the others and learning of the ignored repetition will be measured. 2. Do subjects learn the global spatial layout formed by all items or do they learn the individual item locations? To this end, we will measure whether contextual cueing transfers to displays whose global context or local context is selectively disrupted. 3. What is the extent of individual variabilities in contextual cueing and what is the source of such variation? We will measure the correlation between an individual's cueing effect and other cognitive abilities, such as digit-span, visual short-term memory capacity, and central executive function. 4. Do common brain regions underlie encoding display repetitions and learning of a consistent association? Here, we will use fMRI to measure brain regions important for repetition processing and those for associative learning. This proposal has direct health implications because unlike explicit learning and memory, implicit learning is largely preserved in many patient groups, in people with low IQ, and in small children and older adults. Contextual cueing is a powerful form of implicit learning. Understanding its cognitive and neural mechanisms is the first step toward understanding this ability in normal adults as well as in those whose explicit learning and memory mechanisms are impaired.