The role of kinetic information in newborns' perception of illusory contours.
Previous research, in which static figures were used, showed that the ability to perceive illusory contours emerges around 7 months of age. However, recently, evidence has suggested that 2-3-month-old infants are able to perceive illusory contours when motion information is available (Johnson & Mason, 2002; Otsuka & Yamaguchi, 2003). The present study was aimed at investigating whether even newborns might perceive kinetic illusory contours when a motion easily detected by the immature newborn's visual system (i.e. stroboscopic motion) is used. In Experiment 1, using a preference looking technique, newborns' perception of kinetic illusory contours was explored using a Kanizsa figure in a static and in a kinetic display. The results showed that newborns manifest a preference for the illusory contours only in the kinetic, but not in the static, condition. In Experiment 2, using an habituation technique, newborns were habituated to a moving shape that was matched with the background in terms of random-texture-surface; thus the recovery of the shape was possible relying only on kinetic information. The results showed that infants manifested a novelty preference when presented with luminance-defined familiar and novel shapes. Altogether these findings provide evidence that motion enhances (Experiment 1) and sometimes is sufficient (Experiment 2) to induce newborns' perception of illusory contours.
Valenza
Eloisa
E
Dipartimento di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e della Socializzazione, Università di Padova, via Venezia 8, 35131 Padua, Italy. eloisa.valenza@unipd.it
Bulf
Hermann
H
D002657:Child Development; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005364:Field Dependence-Independence; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D009039:Motion Perception; D009903:Optical Illusions; D011601:Psychophysics