Contrast and Spatial Frequency Components in Visual Preferences of Newborns
- 25 June 1985
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Perception
- Vol. 14 (3) , 345-348
- https://doi.org/10.1068/p140345
Abstract
A preferential-looking procedure was used to investigate newborns' responses to square-wave gratings varying in spatial frequency and contrast. A preliminary study confirmed that the gratings used in the experiment were suprathreshold. In the experiment newborns' preference for a grating of 0.1 cycle deg−1 within the peak contrast sensitivity range was examined. Reduction in the contrast of this grating led to a transfer of the preference to a high-contrast grating of the same space-averaged luminance with a spatial frequency outside this range (0.42 cycle deg−1). The findings are discussed with reference to the role of the contrast sensitivity function in pattern preferences of newborns: it is suggested that contrast and spatial frequency interact in determining pattern preferences.Keywords
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