ORIGINS AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF PERCEPTION, ACTION, AND REPRESENTATION

Research relevant to the origins and early development of two function ally dissociable perceptual systems is summarized. One system is conce rned with the perceptual control and guidance of actions, the other wi th the perception and recognition of objects and events. Perceptually controlled actions function in real time and are modularly organized. Infants perceive where they are and what they are doing. By contrast, research on object recognition suggests that even young infants repres ent some of the defining features and physical constraints that specif y the identify and continuity of objects. Different factors contribute to developmental changes within the two systems; it is difficult to g eneralize from one response system to another; and neither perception, action, nor representation qualifies as ontogenetically privileged. A ll three processes develop from birth as a function of intrinsic proce ssing constraints and experience.