A Touch Screen Based Associative Learning Task for Examining Visuomotor Learning Arpitha Basaral Udayakumar

Student: Arpitha Basaral Udayakumar

Project Mentors: Dr. Christopher Buneo – SBHSE
Dr. Paul VanGilder – SBHSE
Dr. Stephen Helms Tillery – SBHSE

YouTube Link: View the video link below before joining the zoom meeting

Zoom link: https://asu.zoom.us/j/2948895892

Zoom meeting time: 9am – 11am

Abstract

Acquiring an association between a sensory cue and its consequent outcome is what constitutes associative learning in an individual. It is hypothesized that neuromodulation influences associative learning and that learning curves obtained with stimulation are steeper than those without. In order to test this hypothesis, suitable behavioral paradigms are required. For the first stage of this project, a behavioral task was designed using LabVIEW and Unity game rendering software to study the effects of neuromodulation on associative learning. During the task, subjects learned to associate visual cues with targets on a touchscreen. Following completion of the task, learning curves were plotted and provided quantitative evidence of neuromodulation techniques mediating visuomotor learning. The gradual plateau observed in the plotted curves showed that the designed task could be used to obtain a baseline for comparison once simulation is attempted. These results indicate that the touch screen and LabVIEW based behavioral paradigm can be used to study the effects of neuromodulation on associative visuomotor learning in human subjects.