Contrast sensitivity for a 3 cycles deg−1 sinusoidal grating in 7–10 month old infants was tested by presenting gratings and uniform fields on cylinders, with the former providing auditory reinforcement when the infant picked them up. The method shows that a contrast as low as 7.5% can commonly be detected at this age, compared with 1–2% for adults under comparable conditions. However, as the development of hand preferences interferes with the task as an indicator of visual sensitivity, it is concluded that this method is not in its present form suitable for vision testing on a wide scale or in a clinical setting.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AtkinsonJBraddickO J, 1981“Acuity, contrast sensitivity, and accommodation in infancy” in The Development of Perception Eds AslinR NAlbertsJ RPetersenM R (New York: Academic Press) volume 8, pp 245–277
2.
AtkinsonJBraddickO J, 1983“Assessment of visual acuity in infancy and early childhood”Acta Ophthalmologica, Supplementum 15718–26
3.
AtkinsonJBraddickO JMoarK, 1977“Development of contrast sensitivity over the first 3 months of life in the human infant”Vision Research171037–1044
4.
BryantP EJonesPClaxtonV CPerkinsG M, 1972“Recognition of shapes across modalities by infants”Nature (London)240303–304
5.
DobsonVTellerD Y, 1978“Visual acuity in human infants: A review and comparison of behavioural and electrophysiological studies”Vision Research181469–1483
6.
HarrisLAtkinsonJBraddickO J, 1976“Visual contrast sensitivity of a 6 month-old infant measured by the evoked potential”Nature (London)264570–571
7.
MayerD LDobsonV, 1980“Assessment of vision in young children: A new operant approach yields estimates of acuity”Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science19566–570
8.
PirchioMSpinelliDFiorentiniAMaffeiL, 1978“Infant contrast sensitivity evaluated by evoked potentials”Brain Research141179–184
9.
SalapatekPBanksM S, 1978“Infant sensory assessment: Vision” in Communicative and Cognitive Abilities: Early Behavioral Assessment Eds MinifieF DLloydL L (Baltimore, MD: University Park Press) pp 61–106
