DISCRIMINATION OF STIMULUS ROTATION BY NEWBORNS

This study investigated whether newborn infants are capable of detecti ng changes in stimulus rotation. Previous research suggests that the a bility to detect direction-specific motion information develops around 2 months of age. Using a habituation-recovery procedure in which the newborns controlled the number of trials required to reach criterion o f habituation, 16 newborns were habituated to a black-and-white Maltes e Cross rotating in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Following habituation, half of the newborns were presented with the Ma ltese Cross rotating in the opposite direction (rotation (change)), an d half were presented with the Maltese Cross rotating in the same dire ction (rotation (same)). Newborns in the rotation (change) condition d isplayed a recovery of their levels of visual fixation during three po sthabituation test trials. Thus, newborns could detect changes in stim ulus rotation. It was suggested that differences in methodology (i.e., successive vs. simultaneous presentation of posthabituation test stim uli) may influence interpretations of the newborn infants' ability to detect changes in direction of stimulus movement.