Аннотация:Cognitive scientists often include repeated similar tasks in order to have more data for statistical analysis. However, participants (especially children) tend to learn new perceptual strategies during such an experiment. We investigated the influence of training on extrafoveal perception of geometric shapes. In our pilot study children (7-8 years-old, n=8) had to find one target object (a square or a rectangle) between the distractors as quick as possible in 64 trials. Three dependent variables were selected as learning indicators: time of task solving, the amount of fixations before finding the target (“necessary fixations”) and after it (“additional fixations”). We compared first and second half of trials by ANOVA within each child. Some children were getting to perform better (n=2; the amount of “necessary” and “additional” fixations significantly decreased, p<0,05) in the second part, other children were getting to performed worse (n=2; time of solving significantly increased, p<0,05). For “bad learners” the time and the amount of “necessary fixations” significantly correlate. Thus, we assume “bad learners” spent time for the search of the target.
The results suggest strong individual differences in children’s perceptual strategies. Supported by RFBR, grant No. 15-06-06319