Abstract
To investigate the development of the target-selection process for saccade generation, saccade latencies toward one of two targets were compared with those toward a target presented alone, under conditions where the timing of fixation stimulus offset was varied. 12 2-mo.-olds (7 boys and 5 girls), 12 3-mo.-olds (6 boys and 6 girls), and 12 5-mo.-olds (8 boys and 4 girls) participated. The latencies were longer when two saccade targets were presented on the left and right sides of the display (Double-target condition) than when one target was presented either on the left or right side of the display (Single-target condition). The difference between the Single- and Double-target conditions tended to be larger in 2-mo.-old infants than in 5-mo.-old infants when a central fixation target remained on after the onset of peripheral stimuli (Overlap condition). However, there was no difference between the 2-mo.-olds and the 5-mo.-olds when the fixation target was turned off before the peripheral stimuli were presented (Gap condition). The results provided evidence of the maturational development of a target-selection process for saccade generation during 2 to 5 mo. of age.
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