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Title
Does Early Perceptual Experience Influence Later Perceptual and Neural Discrimination in Children?
Access Type
Open Access
Document Type
thesis
Degree Program
Psychology
Degree Type
Master of Science (M.S.)
Year Degree Awarded
2013
Month Degree Awarded
February
Keywords
perceptual narrowing, early experience, face perception, event-related potentials (ERPs)
Abstract
In infancy, the ability to tell the difference between two faces within a category (e.g., species, race) that is infrequently experienced declines from 6 to 9 months of age (Kelly et al., 2009, 2007; Pascalis et al., 2005; Pascalis, de Haan, & Nelson, 2002; Scott & Monesson, 2009). This decline in the ability to distinguish faces is known as "perceptual narrowing" and has recently been found to be absent when infants are given experience matching a face with an individual-level proper name between 6 to 9 months of age (Scott & Monesson, 2009). Additionally, individual-level experience between 6 and 9 months of age has led to neural changes at 9 months of age (Scott & Monesson, 2010). It is currently unclear whether brief, early experience between 6 and 9 months leads to sustained behavioral advantages and lasting neural changes. In order to answer these questions, the current study recruited and tested children who previously participated in a face training study when they were infants (Scott & Monesson, 2009, 2010). Findings revealed that individual-level experience with faces during the first year of life: 1) resulted in faster reaction time for faces outside of the trained category, and 2) led to more adult-like neural representations of faces outside of the trained category 3-4 years later. These results suggest that experience with individual-level learning in the first year of life is generalized to visually similar, but environmentally relevant face categories.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/3436916
First Advisor
Lisa S Scott