Verified Document

Infants Abilities In Terms Of Vision Essay

Visual Development in Infants Researchers have found that the initial assumption about infants and their visual prowess were in fact not true (Siegler, DeLoache, Eisenberg, & Saffran, 2014). . Babies do, in fact, have better vision than at first supposed. Indeed, their vision is certainly not "barely functional" as at first supposed. It has been found that infants begin to explore the world around them visually as soon as within minutes after birth. While it is true that their visual clarity is not as clear as that of adults, research has shown that they gain increasing visual competency within the first month of life. To investigate this, a variety of techniques needed to be used, since babies are unable to understand or follow instructions when it comes to investigation methods. Robert Franz (1961) developed this technique in 1961 to study the visual attention of an infant. For this test, Franz displayed two visual stimuli side by side on a screen for the infant to see. The test then involves determining to which image the infant pays more attention. This then indicates that the infant can distinguish between the images and prefers one over the other. It was also found that infants prefer having an image to look at to being presented with a blank screen (Siegler, DeLoache, Eisenberg, & Saffran, 2014).

Another method used to study an infant's development in terms of sensory and perceptual ability is the habituation method. In this method, infants are presented with repeated image until they indicate boredom, after which a new image is displayed. An increase in response by the infant then means...

This is also a method by which an infant's contrast sensitivity can be measured; this sensitivity is low at birth because of the lack of maturity in their cones and the fact that light sensitive nerve cells are not at their full level of development (Banks & Dannemiller, 1987).
The poor contrast sensitivity infants have at birth also makes it difficult to focus on objects close to them. They display jerky eye movements and cannot focus for long on a single object, especially when close to them (Kellman & Arterberry, 2006). Despite initial limitations, research has found that infants prefer their mother's face over that of a stranger (Haith, Bergman, & Moore, 1977; Milewski, 1976). By two months of age infants are able to distinguish more details in faces and other patterns. (Maurer & Salapatek, 1976).

By 2-3 months, babies are able to begin stronger visual activity, where the eyes move "as a team" to provide visual input Bushnell (1985). At this stage, babies see well enough to see and follow moving objects and also to reach for objects that they can see. By 5 months, there is an increase of vision for exploratory purposes, and babies begin to make more physical hand contact with the objects around them. Some studies included different conditions when determining the ability of infants to reach for objects, for example full vision conditions as opposed to objects that glow in the dark (Pogetti, Souza, Tudella, Teixira, 2013).

Proprioceptive feedback provides the infant with the ability…

Sources used in this document:
References

Armstrong, J., Hutchinson, I., Laing, D., & Jinks, A. (2007). Facial Electromyography: Responses of Children to Odor and Taste Stimuli. Chemical Senses, 32 (6) (1464-3553), 611-621.

Perone, S., Simmering, V., & Spencer, J. (2011). Stronger neural dynamics capture changes in infants' visual working memory capacity over development. Developmental science, 14 (1467-7687), 1379-1392.

Pogetti, L., Souza, R., Tudella, E., & Teixeira, L. (2013). Early infant's use of visual feedback in voluntary reaching for a spatial target. Frontiers in Psychology Front. Psychol., 1-6

Seigler, R. (2010). Seeing, Thinking, and Doing in Infancy. In How Children Develop (4th ed., pp. 172-188). New York:Worth.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Perceptual Abilities Innate One Needs
Words: 1226 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Human infants are perceptually competent hence; infants use senses mostly in everything. Moreover, learning has a lot of effect on children's decision-making. Researchers divide children's development into three: cognitive, language, and physical. All these relate to contribute to the kids general development. Cognitive development entails the need for a better means of speech that will help in expressing knowledge. Language helps a child to capture new words and ideas. Physical

Prenatal Care and Health Care
Words: 8616 Length: 32 Document Type: Term Paper

In the twenty-first century, women should have easy access to available resources to assist them in their pregnancy. In addition, available technology to detect difficulties during pregnancies is widespread in the medical field; however, disadvantaged women in Atlanta, Georgia do not benefit from these resources. Each year, maternal care expands in resources and knowledge. Equipped physicians can diagnose birth defects long before a mother gives birth. Absurdly, poor twenty-first

Perception How Does Depth Perception Occur in
Words: 4390 Length: 13 Document Type: Research Paper

Perception How does depth perception occur in a person who gains sight after being congenital blind? Depth perception is necessary for the ability to perform many tasks including driving, and many other activities. The ability to perceive the distance of objects is a complex process. When people are born blind in one eye, regardless of the reason, they do not develop the ability to perceive depths. Their world is flat compared

Educational Theories Numerous Educational and Childhood Development...
Words: 3738 Length: 11 Document Type: Research Paper

Maturationist, Constructivist, and Environmentalist Educational Theories Numerous educational and childhood development theories have impacted school readiness discussions. Among the most notable theories that hold an effect on readiness practices are maturationists', constructivists', and environmentalists' development theories. Maturationists observe that there can be achievement of school readiness practices when all healthy children hold the potential to carry out activities such as counting and alphabet recitation. Encompassment of these activities is in learning

Shaman As a Spiritual Specialist
Words: 2131 Length: 6 Document Type: Thesis

( Achterberg 21) The man then proceeds to chop up the rest of his shaman's body, which he then boils in a pot for three years. After three years the body is reassembled by the spirits and covered with flesh. This means that in effect the ordinary man is now, through the process of initiation and dismemberment, resurrected as a shaman who has the capability to communicate with the

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Words: 3737 Length: 10 Document Type: Case Study

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Special Education About the Child Pietro is a 7-year-old boy. His biological parents are Argentine and Colombian. He was born approximately six weeks prematurely because of his mother's consumption of alcohol throughout the duration of her pregnancy. According to medical reports, his mother did not consume heavy quantities of alcohol, but she did consume nominal amounts on a regular basis, such as one to three times a week, nearly

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now