Auditory-visual perception of changing distance by human infants.
2 studies examined 5-month-old infants' sensitivity to auditory-visual specification of distance and direction of movement. In 1 experiment, infants were presented successively with 2 filmed events--1 of an automobile approaching, and the other of the same automobile driving away. A soundtrack that increased or decreased in amplitude was played along with each film, either in a match or mismatch condition. Infants did not show differential looking patterns related to the match or mismatch of auditory and visual information. In a second experiment, infants were tested using a paired preference technique. The films were shown side-by-side along with a single soundtrack appropriate to 1 of them. Looking time was monitored as before. These infants demonstrated visual preferences for the sound-matched films, evidently detecting the relationship between auditory and visual information when this procedure was used.
D001307:Auditory Perception; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004215:Distance Perception; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception; D002666:Psychology, Child; D014796:Visual Perception