Start: Perception Quartet Talks with Maxime Doyon

The SPB Perception’s online lecture series ‘The Perception Quartet Talks’ began on 7 November 2025 with a lecture by Maxim Doyon entitled ‘The Impact of Norms on Perceptual Learning’. The talk explored the changes and transformations that perceptual abilities undergo over the course of a lifetime. Some of these are attributable to physiological factors (such as genetics, growth, maturation, but also injuries, illnesses, ageing, etc.), whilst others are shaped by motivational processes (such as learning, adaptation, compensation, integration, etc.). In both cases, these changes demonstrate that our perceptual abilities are constantly evolving, thereby altering the scope and quality of our perception. The lecture examined this topic from the perspective of perceptual learning. According to Doyon, cultural, social, aesthetic or other norms play a dual role in shaping perception through learning. On the one hand, they act as constraints: norms can limit and direct the focus of perception by defining what is relevant, appropriate or valuable in a given context. On the other hand, norms also act as enablers: they allow those perceiving to develop certain skills and expand their ability to perceive, distinguish and take note of various aspects of the world.