Visual statistical learning deficits in memory-impaired individuals

ABSTRACT

Visual statistical learning (VSL) refers to the learning of environmental regularities. Classically considered an implicit process, one patient with isolated hippocampal damage is severely impaired at VSL tasks, suggesting involvement of explicit memory. Here, we asked whether memory impairment (MI) alone, absent of clear hippocampal pathology, predicted deficits across different VSL tasks. A classic VSL task revealed no learning in MI participants (Exp. 1), while imposing attentional demands (Exp. 2: flicker detection, Exp. 3: gender/location categorization) during familiarization revealed modest residual VSL. MI with nonspecific neural correlates predicted impaired VSL overall, but attentional processes may be harnessed for rehabilitation.

KEYWORDS:

• Visual statistical learning
• traumatic brain injury
• memory impairment
• amnesia
• episodic memory

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by NSF OIA 1632849 to TJV and MEB, NSF BCS 1558535 to TJV, and NSF OIA 1632738 to MEB.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation [BCS 1558535,OIA 1632738,OIA 1632849].