INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN INFANT VISUAL-ATTENTION - RECOGNITION OF DEGRADED VISUAL FORMS BY 4-MONTH-OLDS

In 5 experiments, 4-month-old infants were tested for their ability to recognize degraded visual targets as a function of individual differe nces in fixation duration. Targets were degraded by removing 10% of th e total contour either from vertices (vertex-absent) or from midsegmen ts (vertex-present). Both qualitative and quantitative differences wer e found in long and short lookers' ability to recognize the degraded f orms. Short-looking infants were able to recognize degraded forms in b oth vertex-absent and vertex-present conditions, but the vertex-absent discrimination was more difficult. Long-looking infants required long er familiarization times before showing evidence of recognition in the vertex-present condition, and were unable to recognize targets in whi ch contour was removed at vertices. The findings are discussed within the framework of the persistence of early visual processing strategies , and reliance of long-looking infants on particular local elements in visual analysis.