Perceptual Learning For Chinese Characters In Peripheral Vision

The patients with AMD often feel bilateral central scotoma, thus they have to use their peripheral retina to read. In order to help these patients improve their peripheral reading ability, many researches have focused on perceptual learning in peripheral vision. Perceptual learning is defined as improvement of the performance on perceptual tasks after training. Previous studies on perceptual learning of peripheral vision have showed that reading speed can improved in the trained field. However, no such research have began in China, using Chinese characters as stimuli.Perceptual learning in peripheral vision using Chinese characters was explored in this study. Young adults with normal vision took part in this study. Experiment1examined whether the visual span can enlarge after a period of training. Experiment2explored whether the improved performance can transfer to different stroke frequencies characters. Experiment3examined whether the trained performance can transfer to different use frequency characters. Experiment4aimed to find whether training effect can transfer to the other eye.The results of this study are as follows:(1) Visual span of Chinese characters can enlarge after a period of training;(2) Visual span of Chinese characters differ in four direction;(3) Visual span of six stroke frequencies have no different;(4) Training effect can transfer to different stroke frequencies characters;(5) Visual span of common characters are larger than that of rare characters;(6) Training effect can not transfer to different use frequencies characters;(7) Visual span of the single left eye are different from that of a single right eye;(8) Training effect can not transfer to different eye.This study got the preliminary evidence that visual span of Chinese characters can enlarge after a period of training and generalization of perceptual learning in peripheral vision. Following studies in the future should do more deeper research (such as using EEG to study the neural mechanism of perceptual learning in peripheral vision) and extended to older people.