No abstract

The chromatic discrimination capabilities of 3- and 7-week-old infants were tested using 8 degrees, 417-, 448-, 486-, 540-, and 645-nm test fields embedded in a 547-nm surround and 486-nm test fields in a broadband red surround. In corroboration of earlier studies, few 3-week-old infants demonstrated chromatic discriminations, although their performance was somewhat better when one of the lights was long wavelength. Most 7-week-old infants could make chromatic discriminations, but they still demonstrated performance minima. The radiances of the test lights at the infants' performance minima were used to generate a spectral luminous efficiency curve. This curve agreed with both the adult heterochromatic brightness matches measured at 30 degrees of visual eccentricity in situ and the standard adult scotopic sensitivity curve V(lambda) over the short- and mid-wavelength range but deviated from both adult curves for the 645-nm test stimulus on a 547-nm surround. The results suggest that rod-initiated signals play a major role in infants' visual performance under the conditions tested.

Performance on whole comparisons of two whole objects was compared to that for partial comparisons of a whole object and a part. In particular, same-different comparisons were measured for sequential displays of two-dimensional line figures. The comparisons were analogous to those in the word priority paradigm (Johnson, 1975). The whole comparisons were found to be more accurate and faster than the partial comparisons. This whole advantage was also found for accuracy using a two-alternative forced-choice procedure. This effect was found for brief displays of a single object and for longer duration displays of two objects. It was also found for three different sets of line figures. In contrast, the whole advantage was not found for unconnected figures. These findings were interpreted in the context of hierarchical representations of objects and parts.

No abstract

What is the role of objects in shape perception? To investigate this question we studied judgments of connected two-dimensional line figures. Observers viewed two figures sequentially and made the same or different judgments. The comparisons were either between two whole objects or between a whole object and a part. These comparisons are referred to as whole and partial comparisons. A whole-comparison advantage was found; subjects were faster and more accurate on whole comparisons than on partial comparisons. This advantage occurred with several procedures and sets of stimuli. The whole advantage did not occur when the whole object was not completely connected. These findings provide evidence for the perceptual significance of objects. More specifically, they are compatible with the existence of a hierarchical representation of an object and its parts.