Unexpected benefits of training frequency discrimination on the learning and generalization of interval discrimination
Beverly A. Wright, Jeanette A. Ortiz · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2000
It is generally accepted that training on one perceptual task does not yield learning on untrained tasks. If so, interleaved training on two tasks should not affect learning or stimulus generalization on either task. Contrary to this prediction, six listeners trained 2730 trials each on interval- and frequency-discrimination tasks using the same stimulus (100 ms at 1 kHz) learned on the interval task 30% more with the trained stimulus, and 134% more with an untrained stimulus (100 ms at 4 kHz), than ten listeners trained 2934 trials on the interval task alone. Furthermore, listeners trained on both tasks with the same stimulus learned on the trained and untrained stimuli, respectively, (1) 105% and 136% more than 6 listeners trained 2160 trials each on both tasks but with a different stimulus (200 ms at 4 kHz) for the frequency task, (2) 19% and 42% more than 20 listeners trained 9675 trials on the interval task alone, and (3) 71% and 579% more than 6 listeners trained 9000 trials on the frequency task alone. Thus practicing a second task with the same trained stimulus unexpectedly enhanced learning and particularly stimulus generalization on the first task, more so than performing additional trials on either task alone. These results may guide the development of theoretical models and clinical applications of learning. [Work supported by NIDCD.]