Comment on Hofsten and Spelke, object perception and object-directed reaching in infancy. 1986

J Stiles-Davis

Hofsten and Spelke (1985) reported a series of studies that quite clearly demonstrated infant sensitivity to depth and relative motion cues. They suggest a salience hierarchy for those cues in which relative motion takes precedence over depth when both cues are present. Based on reports that infants reach for and grasp boundaries in the visual display, the authors make the further claim that these data argue for object perception infants by the time they are 5 months old. The present article argues against this claim on two grounds: First, the authors do not report that infants specifically reached and grasped at boundaries in the display. Second, although patterns of reach are clearly affected by changes in boundary cues, there is no evidence that the boundaries the infants perceive are necessarily object boundaries.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D009039 Motion Perception The real or apparent movement of objects through the visual field. Movement Perception,Perception, Motion,Perception, Movement
D002666 Psychology, Child Branch of psychology involving the study of normal and abnormal behavior of children. Child Psychology,Infant Psychology,Pediatric Psychology,Psychology, Infant,Psychology, Pediatric
D003463 Cues Signals for an action; that specific portion of a perceptual field or pattern of stimuli to which a subject has learned to respond. Cue
D003867 Depth Perception Perception of three-dimensionality. Stereopsis,Stereoscopic Vision,Depth Perceptions,Perception, Depth,Perceptions, Depth,Stereopses,Stereoscopic Visions,Vision, Stereoscopic,Visions, Stereoscopic
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013028 Space Perception The awareness of the spatial properties of objects; includes physical space. Perception, Space,Perceptions, Space,Space Perceptions
D013037 Spatial Behavior Reactions of an individual or groups of individuals with relation to the immediate surrounding area including the animate or inanimate objects within that area. Behavior, Spatial,Behaviors, Spatial,Spatial Behaviors
D014794 Visual Fields The total area or space visible in a person's peripheral vision with the eye looking straightforward. Field, Visual,Fields, Visual,Visual Field
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