We examined perceptual transparency in infants. In a previous study, Johnson and Aslin (2000 Developmental Psychology36 808 – 816) found that 4-month-olds could perceive transparency in a moving chromatic display, but not in an achromatic display. In this study, we further examined perceptual transparency in infants using a static achromatic display. Considering the development of figural organisation and contrast sensitivity, we assumed that 3- to 4-month-olds would perceive transparency even in a static achromatic display. We created a transparency and a non-transparent display composed of a partially overlapping circle and square, by switching the colours. Infants aged 3 to 4 months (n = 24) were familiarised with the transparency display (experiment 1) or with the non-transparent display (experiment 2). Then, they were confronted with a uniform colour and a two-colour figure. Infants showed novelty preference for the two-colour figure after they had been familiarised with the transparency display (experiment 1), but not after they had been familiarised with the non-transparent display (experiment 2). These results suggest that 3- to 4-month-old infants can perceive transparency in a static achromatic display.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdelsonE HAnandanP, 1990“Ordinal characteristics of transparency”, paper presented at the AAAI-90 Workshop on Qualitative Vision, July 29, Boston, MA
2.
AndersonB LSinghMFlemingR W, 2002“The interpretation of object and surface structure”Cognitive Psychology44148–190
3.
BeckJPrazdnyKIvryR, 1984“The perception of transparency with achromatic colors”Perception & Psychophysics35407–422
4.
BhattR SBertinE, 2001“Pictorial cues and three-dimensional information processing in early infancy”Journal of Experimental Child Psychology80315–332
5.
CratonL G, 1996“The development of perceptual completion abilities: infants' perception of stationary, partially occluded objects”Child Development67890–904
6.
CurranWBraddickO JAtkinsonJWattam-BellJAndrewR, 1999“Development of illusory-contour perception in infants”Perception28527–538
7.
DavisGDriverJ, 1998“Kanizsa subjective figures can act as occluding surfaces at parallel stages of visual search”Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance24169–184
8.
GerbinoWStultiensC ITroostJ Mde WeertC M, 1990“Transparent layer constancy”Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance163–20
9.
GerhardsteinPKovacsIDitreJFeherA, 2004“Detection of contour continuity and closure in three-month-olds”Vision Research442981–2988
10.
GhimH-R, 1990“Evidence for perceptual organization in infants: perception of subjective contours by young infants”Infant Behavior and Development13221–248
11.
HeZ JNakayamaK, 1994“Perceived surface shape not features determines correspondence strength in apparent motion”Vision Research342125–2135
12.
JohnsonS PAslinR N, 1995“Perception of object unity in 2-month-old infants”Developmental Psychology31739–745
13.
JohnsonS PAslinR N, 2000“Infants' perception of transparency”Developmental Psychology36808–816
14.
JusczykP WJohnsonS PSpelkeE SKennedyL J, 1999“Synchronous change and perception of object unity: Evidence from adults and infants”Cognition71257–288
15.
KanizsaG, 1979Organization in Vision: Essays on Gestalt Perception (New York: Praeger)
16.
KasraiRKingdomF A, 2002“Achromatic transparency and the role of local contours”Perception31775–790
17.
KavšekM J, 2002“The perception of static subjective contours in infancy”Child Development73331–334
18.
KavšekM, 2004“The influence of context on amodal completion in 5- and 7-month-old infants”Journal of Cognition and Development5159–184
19.
KawabataHGyobaJInoueHOhtsuboH, 1999“Visual completion of partly occluded gratings in infants under 1 month of age”Vision Research393586–3591
20.
KellmanP JGleitmanHSpelkeE S, 1987“Object and observer motion in the perception of objects by infants”Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance13586–593
21.
KellmanP JSpelkeE S, 1983“Perception of partly occluded objects in infancy”Cognitive Psychology15483–524
22.
MetelliF, 1974“The perception of transparency”Scientific American230(4) 90–98
23.
MitsudoH, 2003“Information regarding structure and lightness based on phenomenal transparency influences the efficiency of visual search”Perception3253–66
24.
NorciaA MTylerC WHamerR D, 1990“Development of contrast sensitivity in the human infant”Vision Research301475–1486
25.
OtsukaYKanazawaSYamaguchiM K, 2004“The effect of support ratio on infants' perception of illusory contours”Perception33807–816
26.
OtsukaYKanazawaSYamaguchiM K, 2006“Development of modal and amodal completion in infants”Perception in press
27.
OtsukaYYamaguchiM K, 2003“Infants' perception of illusory contours in static and moving figures”Journal of Experimental Child Psychology86244–251
28.
QuinnP CBrownC RStreppaM L, 1997“Perceptual organization of complex visual configurations by young infants”Infant Behavior and Development2035–46
29.
SinghMAndersonB, 2002“Toward a perceptual theory of transparency”Psychological Review109492–519
30.
SinghMHoffmanD, 1998“Part boundaries alter the perception of transparency”Psychological Science9370–378
31.
SireteanuR, 2000“Texture segmentation, ‘pop-out’, and feature binding in infants and children”Progress in Infancy Research1183–251
32.
TermineHHrynickTKestenbaumRGleitmanHSpelkeE S, 1987“Perceptual completion of surfaces in infancy”Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance13524–532
33.
WatanabeT, 1995“Orientation and color processing for partially occluded objects”Vision Research35647–655
34.
WatanabeTCavanaghP, 1992“The role of transparency in perceptual grouping and pattern recognition”Perception21133–139
35.
WatanabeTZimmermanG LCavanaghP, 1992“Orientation-contingent color aftereffects mediated by subjective transparent structures”Perception & Psychophysics52161–166
