Perceptual Learning: Definition, Styles, and Practical Examples
Our senses allow us to perceive the world around us. This process can be thought of as perceptual learning, or the taking in of information from the environment through the body's senses. In essence, it explores how humans learn through their senses, emphasizing the different ways individuals perceive and process information.
We all know that we have five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. But what does it mean to say that we learn with our whole body? This lesson reviews the five senses and how they're used in relation to the seven perceptual learning styles.
There are seven specific methods through which people learn, with each relying on one sense more than the others.
The Seven Perceptual Learning Styles
Let's investigate each one and see how they apply in an educational setting. Let's imagine a teacher, Mrs. Hesher, is considering using perceptual learning methods in her history class. If Mrs. Hesher wants to accommodate all perceptual learning modes in her unit on the Roman Empire, how could she do it?
Visual Learners
About 65% of the entire population learn best through perceiving information through their eyes. There are actually two types of perceptual learners that depend on their eyes: visual learners and print-oriented learners. Visual learners are those that need to see something to learn it. Basically, visual learners need to see and observe in order to learn. In math, for instance, they might need to watch an example be worked for them before they're able to comprehend a math problem.
Mrs. Hesher should consider playing a movie depicting Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire, or showing lots of pictures of the Roman Empire to her class to accommodate the visual learners.
Visual Learning Style
Aural Learners
Even though this scenario seems to be a standard form of educating, only about 30% of the population actually learn best through listening. The bulk of education is presented verbally with an instructor at the front of the classroom and students sitting in chairs listening to the information. Aural learners take in information best when they hear it. To support aural learners, Mrs. Heshner could give a traditional lecture on the Roman Empire.
Kinesthetic and Haptic Learners
Once again, there are two distinct learning styles that rely on our body's sense of touch. Approximately 5% of the population can be considered to be either kinesthetic or haptic learners. While this doesn't seem like a large number, remember that in a school with 1,000 students, 50 will fit into this category. Those 50 students deserve to have their specific means of learning accommodated just like the rest of students.
Haptic learners are experiential learners; they need to experience something to really learn it. They need to be able to hold, touch, and manipulate it to incorporate the information into their long-term memory. They might need to use blocks to experience math concepts before understanding how to add and subtract, or use sand writing techniques to begin the writing process.
Interactive Learners
While taste isn't specific to our forms of learning, using the mouth by way of talking is specific to a form of perceptual learning. Interactive learners need to be able to talk about what they're learning. They need to be able to express ideas or predictions, hear and respond to other's ideas, and share feelings about what they're learning. Without this time of reflection on the concepts, interactive learners have a difficult time retaining information.
Small-group discussions are a great way for Mrs. Hesher to support her interactive learners while offering all students another avenue to investigate and explore the concepts of the Roman Empire.
Olfactory Learners
Olfactory learners are those that associate learned information with smells present at the time of learning. Research shows that the sense of smell and memory are strongly tied together, so being able to connect a smell with learned information can be a key to learning for some people.
To support olfactory learners, Mrs. Hesher might use an oil diffuser to add a specific Italian-themed scent to the room during information presentation and during any testing; the smell will trigger the information.
Specificity of Perceptual Learning
Perceptual learning can be highly specific. This specificity has been demonstrated in various experiments:
* Orientation Specificity: Improvement in performance after training does not transfer when the stimulus is rotated by even a small angle (e.g., 10 degrees).* Visual Field Position Specificity: Learning is specific to the trained location in the visual field, with little to no transfer to other locations.* Eye Specificity: Training with one eye does not necessarily improve performance when the other eye is used, suggesting that learning is eye-specific.| Specificity | Description |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Learning is specific to the orientation of the stimulus. |
| Visual Field Position | Learning is specific to the location in the visual field where training occurs. |
| Eye | Learning is specific to the eye used during training. |
Fig 1: Specificity of perceptual learning for stimulus orientation.
Fig 2: Specificity of perceptual learning for the visual field position trained.
Fig 3: Specificity of perceptual learning for the eye used during training.
Task and Stimulus Specificity
Perceptual learning is not only specific to basic stimulus features but also to the task being performed. Even with virtually identical stimuli, there is little to no transfer of improvement between different tasks, highlighting the task-specific nature of perceptual learning.
Fig 7: Failure to transfer perceptual improvement between virtually identical stimuli, due to task difference.
Neuronal Basis of Perceptual Learning
The neuronal basis of perceptual learning is thought to involve changes in the visual cortex, particularly in the receptive fields of neurons. Training may lead to narrower receptive field centers, allowing for better discrimination between different stimulus orientations and offset directions.
Fig 9: A simple hypothesis about the neuronal basis of visual hyperacuity with vernier stimuli.