Multiple roles of experience in decoding the neural representation of sensory stimuli

Experience and perception are deeply intertwined. Experience, particularly early in life, shapes how sensory information is represented in the brain. Experience also establishes associations and can affect how sensory information guides behavior. Central to these kinds of perceptual abilities are neural mechanisms that interpret, or decode, the brain’s sensory representation, but little is known about how these decoding mechanisms depend on experience. I will discuss several critical roles that experience might play in shaping these mechanisms, all of which appear to be capable of causing dramatic changes in sensitivity, response bias, response times, and other manifestations of perceptual ability.