Question

design an experiment that uses objects typically found at home to test infants’ perceptual abilities. For example,

you might design a test of sensitivity of touches of various types and in various locations. You should indicate specifically how you will assess

responses both qualitatively and quantitatively.

its for a Motor Learning and Development class.

Answer 1

There are Fantz tests for analyzing the perceptual perceptual abilities in different children. It was developed in 1961. It is also called as Fantz preferential looking test. In this experiment a screen with two objects is placed in front of a child. The screen contains a grating of two colors called as the white and black color with the presence of a gray scale on one side. The child is placed in a chamber containing this screen. A camera is used for recording the observation of the child. There is no chance of observer bias as the person is not present in the chamber and only a screen is kept. If the child has a preference for the grating then that child can recognize the grating. The experimenter will reduce the size of the grating until it becomes invisible for the child to differentiate the black and white color on the grating scale. The next experiment is called as the habituation experiment. It is an exposure of a child to a specific stimulus again and again till the child loses interest in observing and sighting an object. In this experiment a child is exposed to a new stimulus for a brief period of 30 seconds until the child loses interest and observes it for a lesser time interval. There is placement of children in two types of groups based on the familiarity of the object like novel or familiar. Novel object is the object which is presented only for a brief period of time and familiar object is an object which is presented regularly. The children are made to observe both the novel object and familiar object in two different groups. The habituation method is used for discriminating between the different types of objects to which the children are exposed. The habituation experiment is used for distinguishing the two different kinds of stimulus present in the environment. In this experiment various colors are shown in a specific pattern to a child unless the child loses interest in sighting and observing the specific colors. The direction of the infant in which the child is observing the color is observed is analyzed and interpreted in detail.Mac Donald has explained that there is limited vision and acuity in child during birth stage as compared to the adult stage. There is less development in the fovea region during the development of a child as compared to the adult developmental stages in children.