PSYC 2450 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Color Vision, Fetus, Phonics
27 Jun 2018
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Chapter 7 Early Cognitive Foundations: Sensation, Perception, and Learning 1
Chapter 7
Early Cognitive Foundations:
Sensation, Perception, and Learning
Chapter 7 Outline and Summary
Sensation is the process by which sensory receptor neurons detect information and transmit that
information to the brain. Perception is the process of interpreting the sensory input and provides
the raw material for further processing of the information.
Early Controversies about Sensory and Perceptual Development
1. Nature versus Nature
Empiricist philosophers argued that infants have to learn to interpret their sensory
experiences; nativist philosophers argued that many basic perceptual abilities are innate.
Today most developmentalists recognize that a newborn’s perception of the world is limited,
and that both maturation and learning contribute to the growth of perceptual awareness.
2. Enrichment versus Differentiation
According to enrichment theory, sensory stimulation is often fragmented or confusing and
we use our available cognitive schemes to add to that sensory stimulation. In other words,
cognition enriches sensory experience. On the other hand, according to differentiation theory
our task as perceivers is to detect distinctive features that enable us to discriminate one form
of experience from others. In other words, the information needed to make fine distinctions
is always present, but as perceptual capabilities increase individuals learn to detect
distinctive features.
Research Methods Used to Study the Infant’s Sensory and Perceptual
Experiences
Researchers rely on behavioural and physiological responses to study sensory and perceptual
abilities in infants. There are four methods that are central to developmental research in this
domain.
1. The Preference Method
With the preference method two stimuli are presented simultaneously and researchers note
which stimulus, if either, the infant attends to the most.
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Chapter 7 Early Cognitive Foundations: Sensation, Perception, and Learning 2
2. The Habituation Method
Habituation occurs when a stimulus becomes so familiar that responses to it decline; that is
why it is also referred to as a “familiarization-novelty” procedure. Once an infant has
habituated to one stimulus, a new stimulus is presented. If the infant shows renewed
responding to this second stimulus (dishabituates), it can be inferred that the infant can
detect some difference between the two stimuli.
It can be difficult to discern between habituation and preference effects. Infants will look at a
partially familiar stimulus for a short time compared to an unfamiliar stimulus. But once that
stimulus becomes thoroughly familiar, he or she will spend less time looking at that stimulus
and spend more time looking at an unfamiliar one.
3. The Method of Evoked Potentials
Evoked potentials, or brain wave patterns, can also be used to assess sensory and perceptual
capabilities in infants. Stimuli that are not detected will not produce a change in brain wave
patterns, and stimuli that are perceived as being different will each produce unique patterns
of brain wave activity.
4. The High-Amplitude Sucking Method
The high-amplitude sucking method can be used to assess preferences in infants. A baseline
sucking rate is established; any increase in the rate of sucking will cause an electrical circuit
to be tripped. When this happens a sensory stimulus is introduced. If an infant finds this
stimulus “interesting,” sucking should continue at a high rate; when interest decreases the
rate of sucking should also decline, and the stimulus will disappear. This method can also be
used to assess infant preferences.
Infant Sensory Capabilities
1. Hearing
Newborns can detect differences in the loudness, duration, direction, and pitch of sounds.
a. Reactions to Voices
Infants are particularly attentive to human voices, particularly high-pitched feminine voices.
Even before he or she is born, a fetus can recognize the sound of its mother’s voice
compared to that of a strange woman.
b. Reactions to Language
Infants can also distinguish between basic speech sounds very early in life. By 4½ months of
age an infant will turn his or her head to hear his or her own name, and can distinguish it
from other names. By 5 months of age, an infant can hear his or her name over a background
of voices. Infants less than 1 week of age can distinguish between “a” and “i,” and by 2 or 3
months of age they can distinguish between consonant sounds such as “ba” and “pa.”
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Sensation is the process by which sensory receptor neurons detect information and transmit that information to the brain. Perception is the process of interpreting the sensory input and provides the raw material for further processing of the information. Early controversies about sensory and perceptual development: nature versus nature. Empiricist philosophers argued that infants have to learn to interpret their sensory experiences; nativist philosophers argued that many basic perceptual abilities are innate. Today most developmentalists recognize that a newborn"s perception of the world is limited, and that both maturation and learning contribute to the growth of perceptual awareness: enrichment versus differentiation. According to enrichment theory, sensory stimulation is often fragmented or confusing and we use our available cognitive schemes to add to that sensory stimulation. On the other hand, according to differentiation theory our task as perceivers is to detect distinctive features that enable us to discriminate one form of experience from others.
