An abstract of “Development of Perceptual Completion in Infancy” is available online from IngentaConnect.
A new study suggests that very young infants build up their perceptual understanding of their surroundings, rather than having been born with such perception.
The New York University study performed a series of experiments showing 2- and 4-month-old infants computerized scenes of objects displayed in different conditions. Some were moving, for example, or partially hidden or disconnected.
The study, published this month in the journal Psychological Science, determined that the older infants, over time, had begun to construct and expand perceptual understanding, such as the realization that objects that are partially obscured may be larger than they seem.
