Real, tangible objects enhance the processing of familiar size in infancy

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Perceptual, Sensory, Motor

Abstract

The familiar size of an object, the size that an object typically has in the real world, enters the human way of thinking in multiple ways. For instance, we consider the familiar size of objects to estimate the distance of an object to ourselves and when we plan and perform actions with objects. Even though the familiar size of objects is important for the visual processing of objects, little is known about the perception and processing of the familiar size of objects in infants. In a series of four studies, we investigated when infants start to discriminate the familiar size of an object from novel sizes. We also examined how stimulus format (real objects vs. pictures) and the mode of exploration (visual-only or visual-manual) influence infants’ looking behavior.
In all studies, we used a preferential looking paradigm and presented objects simultaneously in their familiar size and novel sizes (50% larger or smaller than the familiar size). Looking times were measured as the dependent variable.
In study 1, 7- and 12-month-olds (n = 65) were allowed to visually explore real objects. Whereas the 7 month-olds showed no successful discrimination between familiar and novel sizes, t(32) = 0.15, p = .883, 12-month-olds looked longer at the novel sizes, t(31) = -3.75, p ≤ .001, Cohen’s d = -0.65.
In study 2, again 7- and 12-month-olds saw real objects (n = 64), but were also allowed to manually explore the objects. Additionally, photorealistic pictures of the real objects were presented (n = 66). For the real objects, both age groups showed a looking preference for the novel compared to familiar sizes, t(63) = -3.66, p ≤ .001, Cohen’s d = -0.59. However, infants did not show such a preference for the pictures, t(65) = 0.01, p = .996.
In study 3 and 4, all objects were presented in the visual-only condition first and afterwards in the visual-manual condition.3 tested whether presenting a real object in its familiar size and pictures in novel sizes helps 12-month-olds (n = 26) to discriminate between familiar and novel sizes on pictures. In the visual-only condition, infants looked longer at the real objects in familiar sizes compared to the pictures in novel sizes, t(25) = 4.62, p ≤ .001, Cohen’s d = 1.27. In the visual-manual condition, infants showed no difference in looking times, t(25) = 1.80, p = .085.
In study 4, 15-month-olds (n = 27) saw pictures in familiar and novel sizes. In both the visual-only condition, t(26) = 0.93, p = .361, and the visual-manual condition, t(26) = -0.60, p = .554, infants did not show any discrimination between familiar and novel sizes on pictures.
In sum, infants show knowledge of the familiar size of objects early on, however, this knowledge does not generalize to pictorial representations of these objects by 15 months of age. These results suggest that real, tangible objects facilitate infants‘ understanding of the familiar size of objects in ways beyond what is enabled by pictures.

Authors

• Özlem Sensoy, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
  Presenting Author

• Jody C. Culham, University of Western Ontario
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gudrun Schwarzer, University of Giessen
  Non-Presenting Author