Abstract
Physicians need to observe dozens of medical images every day, which is a crucial step in medical diagnosis. It is thus essential to investigate how medical students and interns can learn to diagnose by medical images more efficiently. In the current study, we combined eye-tracking technology to explore the following three specific questions: (1) the effect of comparison learning on performances in medical image diagnosis tasks, (2) the interaction between comparison learning and medical knowledge, and (3) the persistence of comparison learning. In Experiment 1, we found that participants in the comparison-learning goup had better behavior performances, fewer fixation counts, and shorter fixation duration after comparison learning, compared with participants in the non-comparison-learning group. In Experiment 2, we further uncovered the promotion effect of medical knowledge on category learning in medical imaging. In Experiment 3, we found that visual perceptual comparison learning still benefited diagnosis in a delayed test, indicating its persistent effect. The above results uncovered the long-lasting effect of comparison learning in medical diagnosis and advocated the use of comparison learning in the teaching practice of medical students.