Perceptual learning – The past, present and future

Perceptual learning is a long-term enhancement of a perceptual ability arising from perceptual experience (Lu et al., 2011; Sasaki, Nanez, & Watanabe, 2010). It may be viewed as a manifestation of perceptual and brain plasticity, especially in adults who have undergone a critical period of perceptual development in their early years. Research on perceptual learning is important not only for clarifying the mechanisms of perceptual plasticity but also for improving and restoring declining or damaged perceptual function resulting from disease or age (Andersen, 2012; Levi, 2012).