Abstract
Purpose: To determine how training-induced improvement in the matching of 2D shapes generalizes to non-trained regions of the visual field. Methods: Prolonged training on the delayed matching of 2D shape stimuli in one quadrant of the visual field results in marked improvement in matching, as indicated by a 3-fold reduction in the minimum stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between shape stimuli and a masking stimulus. After five days of training, performance was tested in visual field quadrants across the vertical and horizontal meridian, to determine if the improvement transferred to these locations. Results: We found only partial transfer of the improvement in performance across the horizontal meridian of the visual field, and even less transfer across the vertical meridian. Conclusions: These results suggest that a portion of the perceptual learning of shape matching involves visual mechanisms that extend across the horizontal and vertical meridia of the visual field, such as those found in inferotemporal and prefrontal cortex. However, an additional component of the learning appears to involve quadrant specific visual neurons, such as those in earlier nuclei of the visual pathways.