Visual Preference in the First Ten Weeks of Life.

This study followed the development of visual preferences in a single infant from birth to 10 weeks of age. The stimuli used were 5 x 10 item arrays of squares of lines in which a 3 x 3 target matrix of the other figure type (line or square) was embedded. The direction of first fixation and the total time spent looking at each side were determined by direct observation of the infant's eyes. Half of the stimulus cards contained black figures on a white background, half white figures on a black background. A brightness preference would be indicated by fixation on lines on white cards, and on squares on black cards. Preference for high contour density would lead to fixation on the squares on both types of cards. Control cards on which no target matrix appeared were used to determine whether response biases were present. The results indicate an abrupt shift from brightness to contour preference at 5 to 6 weeks of age, consistent with other evidence for a major reorganization of behavior at this time. Furthermore, these changes in visual behavior were found to coincide with changes in the distribution of time spent in different behavioral states. Figures present stimulus materials and findings. (Author/BH)