Static outcomes: Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation at Fp3 or P3 does not modulate perceptual learning as indexed by the intermixed-blocked effect

Jones, Scott P., Ajayi, Bailey, Reid, Harriet and Dwyer, Dominic M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8069-5508 2026. Static outcomes: Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation at Fp3 or P3 does not modulate perceptual learning as indexed by the intermixed-blocked effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition 10.1037/xan0000418

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Abstract

Perceptual learning can be defined as a relatively permanent change in discrimination performance as a result of experience or exposure. One key index of perceptual learning is the intermixed blocked effect (IBE) in which exposure to two ambiguous or perceptually similar stimuli (i.e., AX & BX) exposed in an intermixed fashion (AX, BX, AX, BX, AX, BX) produces enhanced discrimination performance compared with blocked exposure (AX, AX, AX, BX, BX, BX). Previous imaging data has implicated multiple brain regions in the IBE. In the present study, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) was used to explore the causal relationship of two regions, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC), to performance. A mixed, double-blind, design administered two online sessions of tDCS (active and sham) to 48 participants, while they viewed pairs of similar stimuli. Half of the participants received active stimulation to the DLPFC, and the other half to the PPC. Anodal stimulation in either the DLPFC or the PPC provided no modulation of discrimination performance relative to sham stimulation. These results potentially question the generality of the interpretation of other studies in which stimulation of these areas does impact on other indices of perceptual learning.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
ISSN:	2329-8456
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 October 2025
Date of Acceptance:	24 October 2025
Last Modified:	21 Apr 2026 10:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/181991

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