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The research of the authors and others on the role of structure in infant visual pattern perception is reviewed. Two new experiments are reported on preference for symmetry in infants. K is shown that infants reliably prefer patterns with multiple axes of bilateral symmetry relative to asymmetrical patterns. Also, the results demonstrate that vertically oriented single axis bilateral symmetry is more salient than horizontally oriented symmetry in infants as it is in adults. It is argued that sensitivity to various kinds of pattern structure reflects fundamental operations of the visual system.Preparation of this paper and the research reported was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (0001643) to the first author. Thanks to our colleagues Peter Dtxlwell, Darwin Muir, Richard Tees, and Janet Wcrkcr with whom we collaborated on projects reviewed in the paper. Thanks to Dr. Barbara Morrongiello for help in recruiting infants at U.W.O. Richard Tecs and Charles Nelson made very helpful comments and suggestions for improvement on an earlier draft. Address reprint requests to G.

Visual structure in art has been studied by Amheim (1) and more recently by Leyton (2) who suggests that an analysis of symmetrical structure is fundamental to the understanding of visual structure. 1bree experiments revealed age and sex differences in symmetry preferences with dot patterns and productions in drawings by children and adults. Asymmetrical patterns were less preferred and seen as less symmetrical with age, while patterns with multiple symmetries [3] showed the opposite effects. Increasingly complex and creative use of symmetries with age were seen in drawings. Greater preference for multiple symmetries in dot patterns by females and more frequent use of bilateral symmetry in drawings by girls and multiple symmetries by women were in contrast to judgments of greater overall symmetry in drawings by males.

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