Constraints on Statistical Learning Across Species

Abstract

Both human and nonhuman organisms are sensitive to statistical regularities in sensory inputs that support functions including communication, visual processing, and sequence learning. One of the issues faced by comparative research in this field is the lack of a comprehensive theory to explain the relevance of statistical learning across distinct ecological niches. In the current review we interpret cross-species research on statistical learning based on the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that characterize the human and nonhuman models under investigation. Considering statistical learning as an essential part of the cognitive architecture of an animal will help to uncover the potential ecological functions of this powerful learning process.

Keywords: comparative psychology; infancy; statistical learning.

Figure 1

Apparatus and sample stimuli used to investigate chicks’ detection of statistical patterns [13]. In the familiar sequence, the shapes are structured into pairs, such that the first shape in a pair is always followed by the same second shape. In the Unfamiliar sequence, the same shapes are presented but in random order.