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Exploring the Visual Sensitivity for Topological Properties in Newborn Infants

NCT01330537 · Status: COMPLETED · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 80

Last updated 2021-01-28

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

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.

Conditions

  • Visual Sensitivity in Newborns

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • China Medical University Hospital

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Sarina Hui-Lin Chien, PhD · Graduate Institute of Neural and Cognitive Sciences, China Medical University, Taiwan

  • Bai-Horng Su, M.D. · China Medical University Hospital

Eligibility

Min Age
3 Hours
Max Age
14 Days
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2011-04-30
Primary Completion
2013-02-28
Completion
2013-03-31

Countries

  • Taiwan

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01330537 on ClinicalTrials.gov