WHO:	Robert Goldstone , Associate Professor of PsychologyIndiana University
TOPIC:	Learning to Perceive While Perceiving to Learn
ABSTRACT:	The concepts that we learn are at least partially based on the outputs of perceptual processing, but this talk will explore the possibility that concept learning also has a reciprocal influence on perceptual processing. Two important mechanisms of perceptual learning are unitization and differentiation. By unitization, a single perceptual chunk is created for a complex assembly of stimulus components that reliably co-occur and are diagnostic for a useful categorization. By differentiation, perceptual dimensions that were originally fused become split apart if they vary independently within a set of stimuli and are differentially diagnostic for a useful categorization. These two mechanisms may seem to be in opposition to one another one building large perceptual units out of smaller units, and the other breaking apart larger units into smaller units. However, a neural network model that develops perceptual detectors as part of concept learning will be described that reconciles these two mechanisms, showing that both can be explained in terms of creating appropriate units for needed tasks. This model develops detectors that are perceptually plausible and useful for categorization, and that serve as building blocks for recreating input patterns.›
WHEN:	3/17/2003 12:00:00 PM
WHERE:	Meliora 269

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