Infants’ Knowledge of Occluded Objects: Evidence of Early Spatiotemporal Representations

Sammanfattning: This thesis demonstrates that infants represent temporarily non-visible, or occluded, objects. From 4 months of age, infants could accurately predict the reappearance of a moving object after 660 ms of non visibility; indicating accurate spatiotemporal representations. At this age predictions were dominated by associations between specific events and outcomes (associative rules). Between 6 and 8 months of age predictions became dominated by extrapolations (Study III). From 6 months infants could represent occluded objects for up to 4 seconds. The number of successful predictions decreased, however, if the information contained in the occlusion event diminished (time of accretion and deletion). As infants grew older (up to 12 months) they produced more accurate predictions. (Study II). The similarities between adult and infant performances were numerous (Study I). These conclusion are based on one cross sectional (Study I) and two longitudinal studies (Study II & III) in which an object, a ‘happy face’, moved on circular (Study I, II, & III) and other complex trajectories (Study III). One portion of each trajectory was covered by a screen that blocked the object from sight. In each study participants gaze were recorded with an infrared eye tracking system (ASL 504) and a magnetic head tracker (Flock of Birds). This data was combined with data from the stimulus and stored for of line analysis.