Perceptual learning

Perceptual learning is the process by which students gradually learn to improve how they perceive information. For example, a student learning to play music might initially be unable to tell the difference between two closely-related notes. However, with time and attention, they will be able to perceive the difference. Scientists have worked with educators to identify seven different perceptual learning styles that students use to retain new information. These perceptual styles rely on the five senses. They are visual learning, aural learning, haptic modality, interactive learning, kinesthetic learning, olfactory learning, and print-oriented learning.

Background

Perceptual learning is the process by which the human brain’s sensory systems are improved through experiences, especially through repeated uses. It is most commonly observed when the brain learns to tell the difference between extremely similar, easily confusable stimuli. This type of learning commonly takes place during childhood and adolescence, as children and young people learn to use their brains and develop new neural mechanisms. Throughout much of the history of the study of perceptual learning, experts believed that such changes primarily occurred during infancy and early childhood. They believed that once early childhood had passed, the brain had lost much of its neuroplasticity—the ability of the brain to make structural changes—and new neural mechanisms became extremely difficult to develop.

Modern research in fields such as educational neuroscience showed that such assumptions were incorrect. Scientists in the latter half of the twentieth century found that people retained a great deal of their neuroplasticity even into their adult years. As scientists improved the techniques they used to study the adult brain, they were able to focus on the developments in one type of perceptual learning at a time. This allowed researchers to chart the advances made by adults as they practiced particular skills. Their testing showed that, with practice, adults can improve their brain’s perceptual capabilities in a manner similar to children.

Scientific research also showed that people tended to learn through seven different perceptual paths. Initial findings seemed to indicate that training in one path would not transfer to training on other paths. However, later research showed that some of the perceptual learning that takes place on one path might transfer to related paths.

Overview

Scientists have narrowed perceptual learning down to seven different pathways. Each pathway correlates with one of the five senses, but some senses are included multiple times. The seven pathways include visual learning, print-oriented learning, aural learning, haptic modality, interactive pathway, kinesthetic learning, and olfactory learning.

Both visual learning and print-oriented learning rely on eyesight to teach new skills. However, they utilize eyesight in different ways. People who prefer visual learning need to see and observe something before they truly understand it. For example, visual learners in a math class may struggle to understand a complex equation if the teacher explains it verbally, even if the explanation is particularly detailed. However, they may quickly comprehend the equation if the teacher draws an example on the whiteboard. Visual learners also tend to greatly benefit from pictures, videos, graphs, and other visual aids. In learning situations that do not utilize these stimuli, visual learners may become bored and struggle to pay attention to the material.

Like visual learners, print-oriented learners rely on their eyesight to learn. However, whereas visual learners prefer a wide range of visual stimuli, print-oriented learners specifically prefer to read their information. When being taught a mathematical equation, print-oriented learners might struggle to understand both the teacher's verbal explanation an example drawn on the whiteboard. However, if given a handout describing the equation, they might understand more easily. For this reason, print-oriented learners tend to benefit most from classes that rely on textbooks, research, articles, and classroom notes.

Aural learners, also called auditory learners, retain information best when listening. For this reason, they tend to respond well to plays, lectures, and dialogue-heavy video presentations. Aural learners might benefit more from recording a lecture and listening to it repeatedly than taking and reviewing notes. Because many classrooms use lecturing as the basis for their lessons, auditory learners often learn easily in school.

Haptic learners prefer to physically interact with something in order to learn. They enjoy making dioramas, drawing diagrams, and solving puzzles. Many haptic learners prefer to doodle or perform some type of task while learning, even if those activities do not immediately appear related to the topic. Similarly, kinesthetic learners prefer to move while learning. In most cases, kinesthetic learners retain information most easily when physical activity can be combined with a lesson. For example, they might enjoy learning about Napoleon from acting out a play.

Interactive learners work best through vocalizations and conversation. They might enjoy small group discussions, or repeatedly asking their teacher questions. Olfactory learners tend to associate memories with smell and taste. For this reason, they learn best when smells and tastes can be worked into the classroom.

Educators have used these paths to help improve learning in both children and adults. Children often learn more easily than adults. However, the discovery that both cognitive and sensory skills can be developed during adulthood has critical implications for the field of adult education. Psychologists have succeeded in teaching adults to improve their sensory reception, allowing them to improve their ability to differentiate between minute changes in a sensory-based learning path. Other useful techniques include unitization, attentional weighting, and stimulus printing. Unitization occurs when a student successfully begins to perceive multiple stimuli as one collective stimulus, such as learning to perceive an entire word instead of a single letter. Attentional weighting occurs when a student begins to automatically focus their attention on useful parts of a task, taking in the correct information without pausing to think. Stimulus imprinting occurs when students immediately perceive a greater pattern when looking at information.

Bibliography

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Connolly, Kevin. “Perceptual Learning.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 5 Apr. 2017, plato.stanford.edu/entries/perceptual-learning/. Accessed 17 June 2020.

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“‘Perceptual Learning’ Teaching Method Used at New Schools in Santa Monica.” Huffington Post, 6 Dec. 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/perceptual-learning-teach‗n‗880604. Accessed 17 June 2020.

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“16 Characteristics of Kinesthetic and Tactile Learners.” Child1st Publications, 10 July 2019, child1st.com/blogs/resources/113559047-16-characteristics-of-kinesthetic-and-tactile-learners. Accessed 17 Jun. 2020.