Exploring the Visual Sensitivity for Topological Properties in Newborn Infants

The topological perception theory proposed a precise description for how one organizes the visual world that eliminates the vagueness of subjective phenomenology. In addition, the topological theory challenges the dominant computational view on the part-to-whole hierarchy of visual information processing. Lines of evidence from adult psychophysics, brain imaging data, and even honeybee's behavior have supported the notion that the global topological properties are the very primitives of visual representation. However, the question of how the sensitivity to topological properties originates during development has not been explored much. In a previous study, the investigators found that 2- to 6 month old infants could reliably discriminate stimuli based on topological differences, but failed to do so based on geometric differences. Using familiarization/novelty preference procedure, the present study intends to explore the visual sensitivity for topological properties in newborn infants. Experiment 1 focuses on whether neonates can discriminate a disk (no hole) and a ring (with a hole) that are topologically different, and/or a disk (no hole) and a triangle (no hole) that are geometrically different. Experiment 2 focuses on whether neonates can detect a change in the number of holes and/or the size of the hole. If newborn infants are only sensitive to topological properties and not to geometric properties, this will be a strong proof for the claim that topological property is the very "primitive" visual representation at empirical as well as theoretical level.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Visual Sensitivity in Newborns

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 80

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taichung, Taiwan, 40402
    • China Medical University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 3 hours to 2 weeks (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

full-term and healthy newborns

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• full-term and healthy newborns

Exclusion Criteria:

• Eye illnesses or other physical problems

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: China Medical University Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sarina Hui-Lin Chien, PhD, Graduate Institute of Neural and Cognitive Sciences, China Medical University, Taiwan; Principal Investigator: Bai-Horng Su, M.D., China Medical University Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 5, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 6, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): April 7, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 28, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 27, 2021
• Last Verified: January 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: perceptual development; topological perception theory; familiarization/novelty preference method; Discriminate a disk and a ring (topologically different),; Discriminate a disk and a triangle (geometrically different); Detect a change in the number of holes; Detect the size of the hole
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Immune System Diseases; Hypersensitivity
• Other Study ID Numbers: DMR100-IRB-019