To examine the ontogeny of emotional face processing, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from adults and 7-month-old infants while viewing pictures of fearful, happy, and neutral faces. Face-sensitive ERPs at occipital-temporal scalp regions differentiated between fearful and neutral/happy faces in both adults (N170 was larger for fear)…

One- and two-month-old infants were shown schematic drawings of a human face with features arranged (1) naturally, (2) symmetrically but scrambled, and (3) asymmetrically and scrambled. Two-month-olds discriminated among all arangements and preferred the natural arrangement; one-month-olds showed no discrimination or preference. (Author/DB)

Investigated infants' integration of visual information across space and time. In four experiments, infants aged 12 months and 6 months viewed objects after watching light trace similar and dissimilar shapes. Infants looked longer at novel shapes, although six-month-olds did not recognize figures taking more than 10 seconds to trace. One-year-old…

An examination of the extent to which adults and children (7 and 11 years old) were able to make discriminations between fixations directed at their eyes and at different positions on their faces. (SDH)

Human neonates selectively fixated patterns with curved rather than straight contours when the outermost contours differed in this form variable and when quantitative variables were controlled. Data indicated the presence from birth of a discrimination ability basic to later form perception. (Author/ED)

Evaluates models of infant visual preferences with predictions based on the physical attributes of visual patterns using pairs of schematic faces and abstract patterns identical except for contrast reversals. Results suggest that a fundamental change in the determinants of visual preference occurs postnatally between 6 and 12 weeks. (Author/RWB)

Compares estimates of monocular visual resolution of children 6- to 36-months of age with three psychophysical procedures: the Probabilistic Estimation by Sequential Testing (PEST), a modification of the PEST procedure, and the method-of-constant stimuli. (HOD)

Describes preschool children's ability to simultaneously perceive multiple aspects of an object in two experiments during which three- to five-year-olds were asked to describe part/whole pictures. (HOD)

Investigated early determinants of infants' self--other discrimination when presented with a live image of themselves or another person that was either contingent or contingent with delay. Found that infants 4 months and older perceived and acted differently when facing the image of themselves compared to that of another; 9-month-olds showed more…

Facial configuration and height were systematically varied as four different strangers--a male and female child, a female adult and a small female adult (midget)--each approached 40 different infants. The infants responded as if there were 3 classes of persons, suggesting that both size and facial configuration cues were used. (Author/SB)

Examines 3-month-old infants' perception of "camouflaged" forms that were only visible when moving. Shows infants effectively use kinetic information to organize visual input in higher-order structures. (HOD)

Examined the visual scanning patterns of infants ages 6, 10, and 13 weeks who viewed static geometric figures. Measures of fixation dwell-times, saccade lengths, and the choices and sequences of saccadic targets revealed that, although younger infants demonstrated salience-guided scanning behavior, older infants increasingly utilized volitional…

Investigates ability of nine-month-old infants to imitate simple actions with novel objects. Looks at both immediate and deferred imitation. Findings show that imitation in early infancy can span wide enough delays to be of potential service in social development. (Author/RWB)

Examines the effect of different training methods on perceptual learning of impulsive children. A matching to sample method (M), and a differentiation method (D) were used. Data indicated that Ss receiving D training learned to process features distinguishing stimuli; whereas, Ss receiving M training showed no preference for a particular mode of…

For the age range tested there is a lag between the perception and production of certain facial expressions. (Authors)