Anterograde interference in multitask perceptual learning
Abstract Learning to perform multiple tasks robustly is a crucial facet of human intelligence, yet its mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we formulated four hypotheses concerning task interactions and investigated them by analyzing training sequence effects through a continual learning framework. Fort...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | npj Science of Learning |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00312-7 |
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| author | Jia Yang Fang-Fang Yan Tingting Wang Zile Wang Qingshang Ma Jinmei Xiao Xianyuan Yang Zhong-Lin Lu Chang-Bing Huang |
| author_facet | Jia Yang Fang-Fang Yan Tingting Wang Zile Wang Qingshang Ma Jinmei Xiao Xianyuan Yang Zhong-Lin Lu Chang-Bing Huang |
| author_sort | Jia Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Learning to perform multiple tasks robustly is a crucial facet of human intelligence, yet its mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we formulated four hypotheses concerning task interactions and investigated them by analyzing training sequence effects through a continual learning framework. Forty-nine subjects learned seven tasks sequentially, each of the seven groups following a distinct sequence. Results showed that subjects learning a task later in a sequence exhibited poorer performance in six tasks (Contrast, Vernier, Face, Motion, Auditory, and N-back tasks, except for the Shape task) compared to those who learned this task earlier. Interestingly, sequence position had minimal impact on forgetting. A complementary dual-task experiment corroborated these findings. Through detailed analyses of session and block learning curves, we revealed task-specific anterograde interference, but no retrograde interference. These findings support the integrated reweighting theory and shed light on the meta-plasticity mechanism governing how human brain balances plasticity and stability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c99bbaf0a9a64be791de3d49c781fd28 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2056-7936 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Science of Learning |
| spelling | doaj-art-c99bbaf0a9a64be791de3d49c781fd282025-08-20T03:25:12ZengNature Portfolionpj Science of Learning2056-79362025-05-0110111610.1038/s41539-025-00312-7Anterograde interference in multitask perceptual learningJia Yang0Fang-Fang Yan1Tingting Wang2Zile Wang3Qingshang Ma4Jinmei Xiao5Xianyuan Yang6Zhong-Lin Lu7Chang-Bing Huang8State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesDivision of Arts and Sciences, New York University ShanghaiState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract Learning to perform multiple tasks robustly is a crucial facet of human intelligence, yet its mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we formulated four hypotheses concerning task interactions and investigated them by analyzing training sequence effects through a continual learning framework. Forty-nine subjects learned seven tasks sequentially, each of the seven groups following a distinct sequence. Results showed that subjects learning a task later in a sequence exhibited poorer performance in six tasks (Contrast, Vernier, Face, Motion, Auditory, and N-back tasks, except for the Shape task) compared to those who learned this task earlier. Interestingly, sequence position had minimal impact on forgetting. A complementary dual-task experiment corroborated these findings. Through detailed analyses of session and block learning curves, we revealed task-specific anterograde interference, but no retrograde interference. These findings support the integrated reweighting theory and shed light on the meta-plasticity mechanism governing how human brain balances plasticity and stability.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00312-7 |
| spellingShingle | Jia Yang Fang-Fang Yan Tingting Wang Zile Wang Qingshang Ma Jinmei Xiao Xianyuan Yang Zhong-Lin Lu Chang-Bing Huang Anterograde interference in multitask perceptual learning npj Science of Learning |
| title | Anterograde interference in multitask perceptual learning |
| title_full | Anterograde interference in multitask perceptual learning |
| title_fullStr | Anterograde interference in multitask perceptual learning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anterograde interference in multitask perceptual learning |
| title_short | Anterograde interference in multitask perceptual learning |
| title_sort | anterograde interference in multitask perceptual learning |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00312-7 |
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