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Booklet 3: Perceptual development (Cognitive) (Key research: Gibson &…
Booklet 3: Perceptual development (Cognitive)
Background
Perception-
process of recognising and interpreting sensory info into our environment. Also response to this information. Necessary us to survive in our environment.
Humans most perceptual capabilities emerge in first year of life. Directed by an interaction between sensory experiences and biological programming.
Acuity-
sharpness of vision; detect fine detail. Determined by how quickly eye muscles able to contract and relax, so eye can focus. Infant can see clearly up to 6 metres, adult can see clearly up to 125-150 metres.
Binocular vision-
2 eyes create 3D image containing info from both visual fields. 'Stereopsis' both eyes aligned and coordinated in movements. New-born's eyes don't move together like an adult resulting in poor depth perception.
Colour-
Sensitivity to colours develop when cones of eyes mature. Cones cells found in retina responsible for colour vision, e.g. bright light. Infants colour perception develop as they mature.
Facial recognition-
Fantz (1963) babies have innate capacity for facial recognition. Difficult to distinguish whether preference for faces or simply preference for visual complexity. Babies prefer typical face over scrambled face.
Key research: Gibson & Walk (1960) The visual cliff.
Aim:
Investigate age human infants can perceive height distance (type of depth perception). Support idea that depth perception is innate. Which 2 cues play decisive role in depth perception- relative size or motion parallax.
Research Method:
lab experiment, IV was whether infants called by mother from cliff side or shallow side of visual cliff. DV if child would crawl to their mother, or not.
Sample:
36 infants, 6-14 months. Parental consent achieved as mothers took part. Chicks, turtles, rats, lambs, kids (goats), pigs, kittens and dogs studied.
Procedure:
To create the visual cliff a board laid across large sheet of heavy glass supported more than a foot above the floor. One side sheet of patterned material placed directly under glass (shallow side). On other side material laid on floor (cliff side).
Human trials
child placed in centre of board, mother motivates baby to move on apparatus, behaviour observed and recorded.
Animal trials
observed and recorded animal behaviour on visual cliff.
Results: Human Infants:
27 infants crawled off board, all crawled to shallow side at least once. 3 crawled off brink onto glass suspended above pattern on floor. Infants crawled away from mother (cliff side) some cried thought they couldn't get to her. Infants peered down through glass on deep side and backed away. Patted the glass with hand, refuse to cross anyway. Supported themselves on that glass.
Animal results:
Chicks less than 24 hrs old made no mistakes (went to shallow side).
No goat or lamb stepped onto deep side, even at one day old.
Rats could feel glass with whiskers, no preference for shallow side.
Kittens demonstrated depth-discrimination. 4 weeks always choose shallow side of cliff. Turtles showed poorest performance, 76% shallow side and 24% crawl to cliff side.
Conclusions:
Developed depth perception by time of onset mobility, suited to habitat and behaviour, suggesting innate development of depth perception.
Both nature and nurture influence development of depth perception: suggests binocular cues motion parallax are innate, monocular cues relative size are learned.
Application: Strategies to develop perception in young children through play.
Perceptual Development Toys:
Use toys to develop perception in infants and young children. Babies as young as 6 weeks exposed to variety of toys ehance perceptual development. As infant ages, more complex toys introduced developing perception of shape. Toys/games designed to help older children develop perceptual abilites, e.g. lego, jenga, puzzles.
Sensory Integration Therapy:
Helps children with sensory processing/perception problems. e.g. autistic children with hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity. Jean Ayres introduced it to stimulate senses through play for example. Brain adapt allow children perceive and react sensations more efficiently. Gradually become more challenging and complex. Activities fun and engaging
Examples of play activities
Using brushes on skin, sitting or rolling bouncy ball, being squeezed between exercise pads, wearing a weighted vest. Dancing to different types of music. (sound and movement)
Background
Depth perception-
ability determine distances between objects and see world in 3D. Human must have binocular vision, not present at birth. Not until 5th month eyes capable of working together to form 3D view of world and begin to see depth.
Eyes can use cues to help perceive depth:
Relative size:
Knowing size of objects, from previous experience so brains calculate distance based on size of object on retina.
Motion Parallax:
When we move, objects closer move farther across visual field than objects in distance.
2 ways to study infant perception are:
Preferential looking:
Presenting two stimuli to infant simultaneously, monitoring infants eye movement, if one stimulus looked at more than other, shows preferred stimulus may be because of habituation.
Habituation:
Infants get used to looking at familiar stimuli, but show interest in new stimuli. Researchers investigate discrimination between 2 stimuli.