Thinking mechanistically about perceptual learning: Broad consequences for philosophy of mind

Traditionally, philosophy of psychology has individuated mental states functionally or semantically. These approaches have shaped many of the debates surrounding cognitive architecture and perceptual experience. We argue that understanding perceptual learning requires a mechanistic approach, which focuses on the structure of the mental representations underlying learned perceptual abilities. We articulate the mechanistic approach, then show how it differs from functional and semantic approaches with regards to important debates about high‐level contents, cognitive permeation, and non‐conceptual content. Finally, we argue that our approach opens new avenues for explaining how perception contributes to important phenomena such as perceptual expertise and decision‐making.