The cognitive and neural plasticity of perceptual expertise

一个专业的观鸟者可以在一眨眼的时间里分辨出“白色冠雀”和“林肯雀”。同样地，植物学家专家也能分辨出红菇和拉提乌斯蘑菇之间的细微差别。促进这种感知专业知识发展的因素有哪些？ 毫无疑问，专家比新手有更多的经验，在他们的专业领域的对象。然而，目前尚不清楚是经验的数量还是经验的种类决定了专家的表现。 在这项研究中，我们将训练受试者识别物体和面孔在一般水平或特定水平的分类。 在我们的实验中，受试者将接受相同数量的物体和面部刺激的训练。预测是，对于在更详细的水平上分类的物体和面孔，受试者将表现出专家般的感知能力，这种技能将转移到识别相关类别的新刺激。 然而，对于在一般水平上分类的对象，受试者将显示很少的专业能力，很少或没有转移到新的类别。 因此，决定专业知识的是种类经验，而不仅仅是数量。这个预测将使用电生理学方法进行测试，我们将测量头皮上的大脑活动，同时训练受试者成为专家识别者。 我们还将监测眼球运动，以评估由于训练要求而引起的感知策略的变化。 这些实验的目的是了解从知觉新手到知觉专家在认知和神经生理过程中发生的变化。

In a blink of an eye, an expert birdwatcher can discriminate a "white crown sparrow" from a "Lincoln sparrow." Likewise, the expert botanist can discern the subtle details between a "Russula" mushroom and a "Latarius" mushroom. What are the factors that contribute to the development of this kind of perceptual expertise? Undoubtedly, experts have more experience to objects in their domain of expertise than novices. However, it is not clear whether it is the amount of experience or the kind of experience that shapes expert performance. In this study, we will train subjects to recognize objects and faces at either a general level or a specific level of categorization. In our experiments, subjects will receive the same amount of training exposure to the object and face stimuli. The prediction is that for objects and faces that are categorized at a more detailed level, subjects will show expert-like perceptual abilities and this skill will transfer to the recognition of new stimuli from related categories. However, for objects that are categorized at a general level, subjects will show very little expert abilities and little or no transfer to new categories. Thus, it is the kind of category experience, not just the amount that determines expertise. This prediction will be tested using electrophysiological methods in which we will measure brain activity at the scalp while subjects are trained to become expert recognizers. We will also monitor eye movements to evaluate changes in perceptual strategies due to the demands of training. The goal of these experiments is to understand the changes that occur in cognitive and neurophysiological processes as one develops from a perceptual novice to a perceptual expert.