Early infant vision shaped by high-contrast visual inputs
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 11, 2024
Visual experiences in early infancy play a critical role in the development of human vision, offering a unique visual ‘diet’ that differs significantly from that of older children and adults. This was demonstrated in a recent study titled “An edge-simplicity bias in the visual input to young infants,” published in Science Advances by researchers from Indiana University (IU).
“The starting assumption for everybody who thinks about the role of experience in visual development has always been that at the scale of everyday experience, visual input is pretty much the same for everyone. Yet, this study says, no, visual input changes with development. It’s not the same for everybody. The daily life input for very young infants appears to be unique to that age,” said Linda Smith, the study’s lead researcher and a professor at IU’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.
The study utilized head-mounted cameras on infants to capture the types of visual inputs they encounter in daily life, revealing a preference for simple, high-contrast images such as stripes and checkerboard patterns. “To see what young babies see and look at,” says Erin Anderson, a former postdoctoral researcher in Smith’s lab, she and her colleagues put head-cameras on infants to wear in the home during daily life activities.
The research team analyzed 70 hours of video from infants and their caregivers, noting a stark difference in the complexity of visual scenes between the two groups. “You have to think why they are where they are. There is probably some natural knowledge implicit on the part of parents to leave infants where they like to look at things. Mom’s not gonna bother you if you’re not fussing,” Smith noted.
This approach also has implications for artificial intelligence, suggesting that AI systems might benefit from a similar phased training strategy. “Starting with simpler visual inputs could enhance the effectiveness of AI in recognizing and processing images,” Smith added.
The study’s broader relevance extends to understanding visual development differences globally. A comparative analysis in Chennai, India, showed that while environmental contexts vary, the basic visual preferences of infants are consistent.
Smith’s team’s findings also contribute to evolutionary discussions about the pace of human development compared to other species. “Our slow developmental stages may be optimally designed to enhance our sensory systems, preparing us for complex cognitive tasks later in life,” she proposed.
As the field of vision science advances, these insights open new questions about the intersection of human and machine learning and the fundamental processes that shape how we see the world.
Research Report:An edge-simplicity bias in the visual input to young infants
Related Links
IUB Psychological and Brain Sciences
All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2023 – Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled “by Staff Writers” include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report’s information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : IndoDaily – https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Early_infant_vision_shaped_by_high_contrast_visual_inputs_999.html
