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Mediators and Moderators of Perceptual Learning

Award Number: R01EY031226
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/01/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2025

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Mediators and Moderators of Perceptual Learning - This proposal addresses fundamental issue of specificity and generality of training in the context of Perceptual Learning (PL). PL broadly encompasses the set of mechanisms through which experience with the environment gives rise to changes in perceptual processing. The potential broader impacts of PL are immense. Careful research in this domain can greatly enhance our basic understanding of the perceptual systems and the plasticity of these systems. Furthermore, translational approaches underpinned by the basic science of PL are becoming increasingly prominent. This includes a host of emerging translational approaches for the rehabilitation of both perceptual deficits and for cognitive training, which are believed to share cortical plasticity mechanisms. However, while existing research provides evidence that PL approaches can improve perceptual skills, our ability to develop effective interventions is limited by a lack of understanding of the behavioral outcomes associated with different PL approaches. Here we suggest that to understand and maximally exploit PL, it is necessary to know how training with different tasks and in different individuals gives rise to different outcomes. One major obstacle to successful translation of PL is that the field to-date has been strongly driven by “novel” and “provocative” findings demonstrated via small N studies with very few projects digging deep to achieve robust and reliable results. In turn, not surprisingly, the field of PL, like many others in psychology, has suffered from numerous replication challenges. Furthermore, perhaps because following in direct footsteps runs counter to the tendencies noted above, it is surprisingly rare for different research groups to use identical training tasks or outcome tests. This is problematic given research showing that small changes in task- procedures can give rise to large differences in learning outcome. Here we overcome these limitations by comparing a large number of different training tasks using common outcome measures and in a large subject population. Each of these tasks involves a different “critical feature” for learning proposed by a given research group. However, these tasks have never been directly compared or contrasted. The outcome of the proposed research will be of tremendous value to both basic understanding of PL as well as how to translate PL to help those with visual needs. We will achieve robust and reliable results by training a large sample of participants on PL tasks and assess the outcomes via a common set of measures. We will also collect a broad assessment of individual differences, which will provide a unique dataset that can resolve controversies in the literature and lead to new understandings. Our proposed analytical approach tests central key hypothesis in the field, explores the extent to which different training approaches leads to systematically different profiles of learning, and examines how these can differ based upon the individuals being trained. Further by releasing our training and testing tools as well as the data collected, we will enable other groups to model results, replicate our studies, and make well specified modifications of training tasks with known outcomes to guide future research.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $530,781 )
2024	2024	NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY	360 HUNTINGTON AVE	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Vision Research	006	5	4/18/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2024	2024	NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY	360 HUNTINGTON AVE	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Vision Research	005	5	1/29/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$530,781
2024	2023	NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY	360 HUNTINGTON AVE	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Vision Research	004	4	1/26/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$0
2024	2023	NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY	360 HUNTINGTON AVE	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Vision Research	000	4	11/8/2023	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$0
2024	2023	NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY	360 HUNTINGTON AVE	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Vision Research	003	4	1/19/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$749,193
2024	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	200 UNIVERSTY OFC BUILDING	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	002	3	1/19/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$577,335
2024	2021	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	200 UNIVERSTY OFC BUILDING	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	001	2	1/19/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$171,858
														Subtotal = $530,781

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $544,000 )
2023	2023	NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY	360 HUNTINGTON AVE	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Vision Research	001	4	8/31/2023	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$544,000
2023	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	200 UNIVERSTY OFC BUILDING	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	000	3	8/30/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $544,000

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $577,335 )
2022	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	900 UNIVERSITY AVE	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	000	3	2/17/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$577,335
2022	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	900 UNIVERSITY AVE	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	001	3	5/6/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $577,335

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $602,177 )
2021	2021	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	200 UNIVERSTY OFFICE BLDG	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	000	2	2/25/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$602,177
														Subtotal = $602,177

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $1,064,002 )
2020	2020	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	200 UNIVERSTY OFFICE BLDG	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	002	1	8/25/2020	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$402,136
2020	2020	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	200 UNIVERSTY OFFICE BLDG	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	001	1	4/15/2020	NEW	$0
2020	2020	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	200 UNIVERSTY OFFICE BLDG	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	000	1	2/28/2020	NEW	$661,866
2020	2020	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE	200 UNIVERSTY OFFICE BLDG	RIVERSIDE	CA	92521	RIVERSIDE	USA	Vision Research	003	1	9/10/2020	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$0
														Subtotal = $1,064,002

Grand Total All Awards = $3,318,295

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Mediators and Moderators of Perceptual Learning

Award Number: R01EY031226

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/01/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2025

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