Response to novelty as an indicator of visual discrimination in the human infant

Saayman, Graham S.; Ames, Elinor W.; Moffett, Adrienne

doi:10.1016/0022-0965(64)90021-9

Cited by 124 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Thus, decrements in fixation time failed to occur. Our failure to obtain a familiarization effect contrasts with recent findings of observation time decrements (Fantz, 1964;Saayman, Ames, & Moffett, 1964).…”

Section: Observer Reliabilitycontrasting

confidence: 99%

Infants’ observing and heart period responses as related to novelty of visual stimuli

Meyers

Cantor

1966

Psychon Sci

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No justification was found for computing an average reliability estimate although fairly high interobserver correlations were obtained for judgments of infants' fixation times.No intrastimulus decrement was found in observing times, whereas heart period responses when adjusted for prestimulus levels showed across-trial changes, but differentially for males and females. Relationships between observation duration and degree of interstimulus nove lty were contingent upon stimulus sequence and tended to be nonmonotonic.In this initial experiment with infants on the psychophysiology of visual stimulus novelty, both observing and cardiovascular responses were recorded to determine if these were systematically related to novelty, one of Berlyne's (1960) "collative" properties. Two conceptualizations of novelty are used here. The first, "intrastimulus novelty, I I involves repeated presentation of a given stimulus; degree of novelty is assumed to decrease with repeated exposure of this stimulus. The effects of such a procedure, if they occur, are often termed habituation, or more descriptively, response decrement. The second notion, I 'interstimulus novelty, I I entails a comparison of different stimuli, some having been familiarized to various degrees. The present study had two major purposes: (a) to assess interobserver reliability in judging infants' ocular fixation responses; and (b) to examine the relationship of intrastimulus and inter stimulus novelty to observing time scores and to cardiac reactivity. MethodThe results are based on data obtained from 24 Ss, 12 males and 12 females, each 5 months old (± 1 week).S sat in an infant seat facing a 12-1/2 x 12-1/2 in. projection screen located 24 in. away. The stimulicolored pictures of a ball, a bear, a clown, and a dollwere projected onto the screen by a Dunning Animatic strip film projector. The objects occupied approximately 50 sq. in. of the 120 sq. in. light field illuminated by the projector. Two peep holes in the screen, 6 in. apart, allowed two observers to view the infant.The EKG was transduced from chest and back leads into a Fels Cardiotachometer to monitor heart rate. A pulse coincident with the R-wave triggered a Hewlett-Packard counter and printer which timed the successive R-R intervals or heart periods and printed them with stimulus codes.Interstimulus novelty was varied by presenting the clown, ball, bear, and doll pictures differential numbers of times. A given stimulus was projected for four trials (phase 1). Then a new stimulus was introduced and the Psychon. Sci., 1966, Vol. 5 (6) two stimuli were each presented four times (phase 2). Subsequently, a third stimulus was added (phase 3),and finally a fourth (phase 4), each stimulus appearing four times within a given phase. Thus, after 40 trials, the relative presentation frequencies (presumably from the least to the most novel stimulus) were 16, 12, 8, and 4 projections. Four counterbalancing groups insured that each of the four stimuli appeared for the first time in each of the four phases. A 9 se...

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Section: Observer Reliabilitycontrasting

confidence: 99%

Infants’ observing and heart period responses as related to novelty of visual stimuli

Meyers

Cantor

1966

Psychon Sci

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“…It first appears in Cohen (1966), and then in the title of several publications shortly thereafter (Caron & Caron, 1969; Cohen, 1969; McCall & Melson, 1969). In any case, within a few years, both the term (e.g., Miller, 1972) and the paradigm (Caron, Caron, Caldwell, & Weiss, 1973; Friedman, 1972; Pancratz & Cohen, 1970; Saayman, Ames, & Moffett, 1964) was in frequent use. Interestingly, much of the early work on visual habituation emphasized individual differences (Caron & Caron, 1969; McCall & Melson, 1969; McCall & Kagan, 1970; Messer, McCall, & Kagan, 1970).…”

Section: Early Studies Of Visual Habituationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infant visual habituation

Colombo

Mitchell

2009

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory

204

218

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The use of visual habituation in the study of infant cognition and learning is reviewed. This article traces the history of the technique, underlying theory, and procedural variation in its measurement. In addition, we review empirical findings with respect to the cognitive processes that presumably contribute to habituation, studies of developmental course and long-term prediction, as well as recent attempts to address or explain the phenomenon of visual habituation through the use of mathematical or quantitative models. The review ends with an appeal for a return to the study of habituation per se as a valid measure of infant learning, rather than relegating the phenomenon to its use as a technique for familiarizing infants in procedures testing for discrimination or recognition.

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“…1970, Super et al, 1972aswell as for a linear relationship (cf. Saayman et al, 1964;McCall and Kagan, 1970;Jeffrey and Cohen, 1971). The inconsistency of these results may be explained by a shortcoming in the methods of investigation.…”

Section: Some Selected Aspects O F H Unt' S Theory O F Intrinsic Motimentioning

confidence: 90%

Cognition and Motivation in Early Infancy

Ulvund

1980

Human Development

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The problem to what extent cognition and motivation in early infancy can be identified as two separate processes in operation is discussed. Based on published literature and previous research, it is pointed out that traditionally cognitive behaviour has been looked upon in isolation from other aspects of infant functioning. By referring to White (1959) and selected aspects of Piaget’s (1952) and Hunt’s (1965) theories, it is exemplified that there seems to be a continuous interaction between cognition and motivation, and it is suggested that the two processes cannot be clearly distinguished from each other. This conclusion is assumed to have implications for the identification of critical factors in cognitive development, the arrangement of research projects, and the development and use of assessment scales.

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Response to novelty as an indicator of visual discrimination in the human infant

Cited by 124 publications

References 5 publications

Infants’ observing and heart period responses as related to novelty of visual stimuli

Infants’ observing and heart period responses as related to novelty of visual stimuli

Infant visual habituation

Cognition and Motivation in Early Infancy

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