ReflexesReflexes
Newborn ReflexesNewborn Reflexes– SurvivalSurvival
breathing, sucking, swallowingbreathing, sucking, swallowing
– PrimitivePrimitive Babinski, swimming, graspingBabinski, swimming, grasping
Infant StatesInfant States
Most time asleepMost time asleep– 16-18 hours a day16-18 hours a day
Average 2-year-old = 12-13 hoursAverage 2-year-old = 12-13 hours Changes Changes brain maturation and brain maturation and
social environmentsocial environment
Do infants Do infants see/hear/smell/feel the see/hear/smell/feel the same things we do???same things we do???
Assessing Infant PerceptionAssessing Infant Perception
Preferential Looking TechniquePreferential Looking Technique
Assessing Infant PerceptionAssessing Infant Perception
Preferential Looking Technique Preferential Looking Technique (con’t)(con’t)– Patterns to solidsPatterns to solids– Infant visual acuityInfant visual acuity– Faces to other patternsFaces to other patterns– Tells us preferenceTells us preference– No preference doesn’t prove infants No preference doesn’t prove infants
can’t discriminate…can’t discriminate…
Assessing Infant PerceptionAssessing Infant Perception
HabituationHabituation– Familiarity Familiarity lack of response lack of response– DishabituationDishabituation – Three methodsThree methods
LookingLooking High amplitude suckingHigh amplitude sucking Heart rateHeart rate
– SeveralSeveral presentations of a stimulus for presentations of a stimulus for habitutation to occurhabitutation to occur
Assessing Infant PerceptionAssessing Infant Perception
Evoked PotentialsEvoked Potentials– Brain wavesBrain waves
Different brain wave patternsDifferent brain wave patterns
Learning in InfancyLearning in Infancy
Classical ConditioningClassical Conditioning– Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) elicits an Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) elicits an
unconditioned response (UCR)unconditioned response (UCR)– Neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) paired Neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) paired
with (UCS)with (UCS)– Eventually CS elicits a conditioned Eventually CS elicits a conditioned
response (CR)response (CR)– Possible for newborns, but must have Possible for newborns, but must have
survival value survival value
Learning in InfancyLearning in Infancy
Operant ConditioningOperant Conditioning– Learner emits a responseLearner emits a response– ConsequencesConsequences
Repeat favorable, limit unfavorableRepeat favorable, limit unfavorable
– Newborns learn very slowly, rate Newborns learn very slowly, rate increases with ageincreases with age
– At 2 months, context-dependentAt 2 months, context-dependent
Figure 5.15 When ribbons are attached to their ankles, 2- to 3-month-old infants soon learn to make a mobile move by kicking their legs. But do they remember how to make the mobile move when tested days or weeks after the original learning? These are the questions that Rovee-Collier has explored in her fascinating research on infant memory.
Learning in InfancyLearning in Infancy
Observational Learning – Observational Learning – – Newborn imitationNewborn imitation– Imitation of novel responsesImitation of novel responses– Immediate imitation, then deferred Immediate imitation, then deferred
imitationimitation
Sensory/Perceptual Sensory/Perceptual CapabilitiesCapabilities
Touch, Temperature, and PainTouch, Temperature, and Pain– Particularly sensitive on hands, feet, and Particularly sensitive on hands, feet, and
mouthmouth– TemperatureTemperature– Pain – even at 1 dayPain – even at 1 day– Dishabituate sucking to novel objects at Dishabituate sucking to novel objects at
3 months3 months– Prefer to manipulate novel objects at 5 Prefer to manipulate novel objects at 5
monthsmonths
Sensory/Perceptual Sensory/Perceptual CapabilitiesCapabilities
TasteTaste– Sweet, salty, sour, bitterSweet, salty, sour, bitter– Prefer sweetPrefer sweet– How do we know???How do we know???– Present before birth?Present before birth?
Sensory/Perceptual Sensory/Perceptual CapabilitiesCapabilities
SmellSmell– Unpleasant smellsUnpleasant smells– Breastfed babies recognize mothersBreastfed babies recognize mothers
6 days6 days 2 day old cannot2 day old cannot
– Bottle-fed infants laterBottle-fed infants later
Sensory/Perceptual Sensory/Perceptual CapabilitiesCapabilities
HearingHearing– Discriminate sounds Discriminate sounds
LoudnessLoudness DurationDuration DirectionDirection FrequencyFrequency
– Prefer mother’s voicePrefer mother’s voice– PhonemesPhonemes– Hearing lossHearing loss
Sensory/Perceptual Sensory/Perceptual CapabilitiesCapabilities
VisionVision– Least matureLeast mature– Muscles weakMuscles weak– Cells in retina not Cells in retina not
mature or densemature or dense– Optic nerve and “relay” Optic nerve and “relay”
pathways immaturepathways immature– Visual acuity poorVisual acuity poor
Neonate 20/600Neonate 20/600 6 months 20/1006 months 20/100 Adultlike at one yearAdultlike at one year
Sensory/Perceptual Sensory/Perceptual CapabilitiesCapabilities
Vision (con’t)Vision (con’t)– Spatial frequency gradingsSpatial frequency gradings
Sensory/Perceptual Sensory/Perceptual CapabilitiesCapabilities
Vision (con’t)Vision (con’t)– Color perception Color perception
Certain huesCertain hues By 2-3 months, all basic colorsBy 2-3 months, all basic colors By 4 months, group different shades into By 4 months, group different shades into
same categorysame category
– Biological timetableBiological timetable
Visual PerceptionVisual Perception
Identifying boundaries – Spelke Identifying boundaries – Spelke – 3 to 5 month olds shown two objects3 to 5 month olds shown two objects
– touched vs. separatedtouched vs. separated
– stationary vs. moving (either stationary vs. moving (either independently or together)independently or together)
Visual PerceptionVisual Perception ResultsResults
– objects touched, stood still, or moved in the objects touched, stood still, or moved in the same direction same direction reached for them as a whole reached for them as a whole
– objects separated or moved in opposite objects separated or moved in opposite directions directions behaved as distinct behaved as distinct
– repeated with objects of different shapes, colorsrepeated with objects of different shapes, colors
– motion and spatial arrangement motion and spatial arrangement identification identification of objects; not shape, texture, and colorof objects; not shape, texture, and color
• Figure 5.7 Perceiving objects as wholes. An infant is habituated to a rod partially hidden by the block in front of it. The rod is either stationary (A) or moving (B). When tested afterward, does the infant treat the whole rod (C) as “familiar”? We certainly would, for we could readily interpret cues that tell us that there is one long rod behind the block and would therefore regard the whole rod as familiar. But if the infant shows more interest in the whole rod (C) than in the two rod segments (D), he or she has apparently not been able to use available cues to perceive a whole rod. ADAPTED FROM KELLMAN & SPELKE, 1983.
Visual PerceptionVisual Perception
Depth Perception (con’t)Depth Perception (con’t)– Radar: young infants in walkersRadar: young infants in walkers– Readily crossed deep side of cliffReadily crossed deep side of cliff
Held & HeinHeld & Hein– Self-propelled movementSelf-propelled movement
Visual PerceptionVisual Perception
Face PerceptionFace Perception– Newborns Newborns faces over patterns faces over patterns
(Fantz)(Fantz)– Maurer & BarreraMaurer & Barrera
habituated 1 and 2 month olds to habituated 1 and 2 month olds to scrambled facescrambled face
test: infant saw 3 patterns, one at a time:test: infant saw 3 patterns, one at a time:– the habituation patternthe habituation pattern– a different (symmetrical) scrambled facea different (symmetrical) scrambled face– a naturally arranged facea naturally arranged face
Visual PerceptionVisual Perception
Face perception (con’t)Face perception (con’t)– 1 month: equal looking at all 3 test 1 month: equal looking at all 3 test
patternspatterns
– 2 months: dishabituate to new 2 months: dishabituate to new patterns – look most at natural facepatterns – look most at natural face
Visual PerceptionVisual Perception
Particular faces by 3 monthsParticular faces by 3 months
Attractive over unattractiveAttractive over unattractive– Langlois and colleaguesLanglois and colleagues– Found in 3-, 6-, and 12-month-old Found in 3-, 6-, and 12-month-old
infants, as well as in older children and infants, as well as in older children and adultsadults
Intermodal PerceptionIntermodal Perception
Integration at Birth?Integration at Birth?– Yes: reaching for objects that are seenYes: reaching for objects that are seen– Yes: looking in the direction of soundsYes: looking in the direction of sounds– Yes: expecting to see source of sound, Yes: expecting to see source of sound,
or to feel objects that were reached for or to feel objects that were reached for
Intermodal PerceptionIntermodal Perception
Integrating sensory information from Integrating sensory information from 2 or more modalities 2 or more modalities – (differs from text…)(differs from text…)
Spelke (1979): 4-month-olds filmSpelke (1979): 4-month-olds film
Cross-Modal Cross-Modal Perception/TransferencePerception/Transference
Ability to recognize an object through Ability to recognize an object through one sense that was familiar only one sense that was familiar only through anotherthrough another
Some research connects cross-modal Some research connects cross-modal transference and habituation speed transference and habituation speed with later intelligence and language with later intelligence and language skillsskills