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The comparator model of infant visual habituation and dishabituation: Recent insights
Author(s) -
Kavšek Michael
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.21081
Subject(s) - habituation , disengagement theory , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , cognitive psychology , cognition , perception , visual perception , developmental psychology , neuroscience , gerontology , medicine
Current knowledge of the perceptual and cognitive abilities in infancy is largely based on the visual habituation–dishabituation method. According to the comparator model [e.g., Sokolov (1963a) Perception and the conditioned reflex . Oxford: Pergamon Press], habituation refers to stimulus encoding and dishabituation refers to discriminatory memory performance. The review also describes the dual‐process theory and the attention disengagement approach. The dual‐process theory points to the impact of natural stimulus preferences on habituation–dishabituation processes. The attention disengagement approach emphasizes the contribution of the ability to shift the attention away from a stimulus. Moreover, arguments for the cognitive interpretation of visual habituation and dishabituations are discussed. These arguments are provided by physiological studies and by research on interindividual differences. Overall, the review shows that current research supports the comparator model. It emphasizes that the investigation of habituation and dishabituation expands our understanding of visual attention processes in infants. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc . Dev Psychobiol 55: 793–808, 2013.