Development of Attention and Accuracy in Learning a Categorization Task
Being able to categorize objects as similar or different is an essential skill. An important aspect of learning to categorize is learning to attend to relevant features (i.e., features that determine category membership) and ignore irrelevant features of the to-be-categorized objects. Feature variab...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.544135/full |
| _version_ | 1818342140024979456 |
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| author | Leonora C. Coppens Christine E. S. Postema Anne Schüler Katharina Scheiter Katharina Scheiter Tamara van Gog Tamara van Gog |
| author_facet | Leonora C. Coppens Christine E. S. Postema Anne Schüler Katharina Scheiter Katharina Scheiter Tamara van Gog Tamara van Gog |
| author_sort | Leonora C. Coppens |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Being able to categorize objects as similar or different is an essential skill. An important aspect of learning to categorize is learning to attend to relevant features (i.e., features that determine category membership) and ignore irrelevant features of the to-be-categorized objects. Feature variability across objects of different categories is informative, because it allows inferring the rules underlying category membership. In this study, participants learned to categorize fictitious creatures (i.e., aliens). We measured attention to the aliens during learning using eye-tracking and calculated the attentional focus as the ratio of attention to relevant versus irrelevant features. As expected, participants’ categorization accuracy improved with practice; however, in contrast to our expectations, their attentional focus did not improve with practice. When computing the attentional focus, attention to the aliens’ eyes was disregarded, because while eyes attract a lot of attention, they did not vary across aliens (non-informative feature). Yet, an explorative analysis of attention to eyes suggested that participants’ attentional focus did become somewhat more efficient in that over time they learned to ignore the eyes. Results are discussed in the context of the need for instructional methods to improve attentional focus in learning to categorize. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T16:09:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0a05bd08031d47afac67a86ad15c012a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T16:09:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-0a05bd08031d47afac67a86ad15c012a2022-12-21T23:38:57ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-02-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.544135544135Development of Attention and Accuracy in Learning a Categorization TaskLeonora C. Coppens0Christine E. S. Postema1Anne Schüler2Katharina Scheiter3Katharina Scheiter4Tamara van Gog5Tamara van Gog6LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyLEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyMultiple Representations Lab, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, GermanyLEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyMultiple Representations Lab, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, GermanyLEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyDepartment of Education, Utrecht University, Utrecht, NetherlandsBeing able to categorize objects as similar or different is an essential skill. An important aspect of learning to categorize is learning to attend to relevant features (i.e., features that determine category membership) and ignore irrelevant features of the to-be-categorized objects. Feature variability across objects of different categories is informative, because it allows inferring the rules underlying category membership. In this study, participants learned to categorize fictitious creatures (i.e., aliens). We measured attention to the aliens during learning using eye-tracking and calculated the attentional focus as the ratio of attention to relevant versus irrelevant features. As expected, participants’ categorization accuracy improved with practice; however, in contrast to our expectations, their attentional focus did not improve with practice. When computing the attentional focus, attention to the aliens’ eyes was disregarded, because while eyes attract a lot of attention, they did not vary across aliens (non-informative feature). Yet, an explorative analysis of attention to eyes suggested that participants’ attentional focus did become somewhat more efficient in that over time they learned to ignore the eyes. Results are discussed in the context of the need for instructional methods to improve attentional focus in learning to categorize.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.544135/fullcategorizationattentionlearningeye movementseye-tracking |
| spellingShingle | Leonora C. Coppens Christine E. S. Postema Anne Schüler Katharina Scheiter Katharina Scheiter Tamara van Gog Tamara van Gog Development of Attention and Accuracy in Learning a Categorization Task Frontiers in Psychology categorization attention learning eye movements eye-tracking |
| title | Development of Attention and Accuracy in Learning a Categorization Task |
| title_full | Development of Attention and Accuracy in Learning a Categorization Task |
| title_fullStr | Development of Attention and Accuracy in Learning a Categorization Task |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of Attention and Accuracy in Learning a Categorization Task |
| title_short | Development of Attention and Accuracy in Learning a Categorization Task |
| title_sort | development of attention and accuracy in learning a categorization task |
| topic | categorization attention learning eye movements eye-tracking |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.544135/full |
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