Developmental Psychology - Perceptual Development

What do infant looking preferences reveal about their visual system?

Biases in the visual system, such as a preference for high-contrast images and face-like stimuli.

How is visual acuity at birth?

Poor

At what age do infants typically achieve 20/20 vision?

By 36 months.

What is a critical period in perceptual development?

A developmental phase when perceptual systems are highly sensitive to environmental stimuli.

What is the state of colour vision at birth, and when does it fully develop?

• All colour receptors are present at birth.

• Pathways for colour vision are immature but develop fully by 3 months.

What are colour discrimination thresholds in infants?

The ability to distinguish between different colours, which improves as colour vision pathways mature.

What face preference is shown by infants at 4 days old?

Infants look longer at their mother’s face than a stranger’s face after multimodal exposure

How does the ability to discriminate faces change between 6 and 9 months?

• 6-month-olds: Can discriminate faces of other species.

• 9-month-olds: Lose this ability unless trained, showing perceptual narrowing.

What is perceptual narrowing?

A domain-general process where experience (or lack of) shapes expertise, leading to "use it or lose it" adaptations.