GLP: Global and Local Processing

This study investigates how infants perceive objects and their parts, patterns, and textures. As you can imagine, all objects are made up of much smaller parts.  For example, a face is made up of eyes, a nose, and a mouth, among other things. Each of those parts is also made up of parts. Eyes are made of lashes, lids, pupils, and irises. We would like to know how babies form their perceptions when they perceive that objects are made of multiple parts.  Do they start with a big picture and work their way down to finer detail, or do they start with fine detail and work their way up to a bigger picture?

Your participation would mean bringing your baby into our laboratory for a one-time visit. You and your baby would be seated in a quiet room facing a large computer monitor. Pictures of compound shapes (large shapes made up of much smaller shapes) would be presented on the screen. An observer would video record how long your baby looks at each presentation.   Occasionally either the large shape or the small embedded shape will change. By examining how long infants look before and after the changes, we can learn to which parts of the pictures infants are attending. 

All results are kept strictly confidential and you will be sent a summary of our findings when we have completed the study. Appointments can be made to fit your schedule, and you may bring other children with you if necessary: we can provide a sitter and plenty of toys. The session with your baby should take only about 15 to 20 minutes, including a brief interview and the presentation of the pictures.

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