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Newborns’ preference for up–down asymmetrical configurations
Author(s) -
Simion Francesca,
Valenza Eloisa,
Macchi Cassia Viola,
Turati Chiara,
Umiltà Carlo
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/1467-7687.00237
Subject(s) - psychology , stimulus (psychology) , visual field , visual perception , contrast (vision) , sensory system , perception , communication , cognitive psychology , audiology , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , computer science , medicine
The present study was aimed at investigating whether, because of a differential sensitivity between the upper and the lower visual fields, in a visual preference task newborns would orient more frequently and look longer at patterns with a great number of high–contrast areas in the upper or lower visual field. Newborns were presented with three pairs of geometrical stimuli, each composed of a pattern with a greater number of elements in the upper part or a pattern with more elements in the lower part. The results showed a reliable preference for the stimuli that had more elements in the upper than in the lower part. The evidence obtained suggests the possibility that, at birth, the visibility of a stimulus depends not only on its sensory properties, but also on its structural characteristics.