LAUSR

PURPOSE: Our double training studies revealed that perceptual learning can generalize to not only new locations and orientations (Xiao et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2010), but also new physical stimuli encoded at different cortical processing stages (Wang et al., 2016). These results suggest that perceptual learning involves concept learning that improves the abstract concept of a trained feature (e.g., the concept of orientation). Here we demonstrate that such a concept can be represented and improved across the sensory modalities. METHODS & RESULTS: In Experiment I, participants first practiced tactile orientation discrimination (Tac_ori) using their index fingers that were stimulated by 3D-printed gratings at 40o or 130o. Although training improved Tac_ori thresholds (44.90%, p = 0.036 CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that stimulus orientation as a concept can be represented and improved across tactile and visual modalities. Tactile training of orientation discrimination thus can teach visual orientation discrimination.