BOSTEN_Developmental_Science_MAR_2023.pdf (1.14 MB)
Colour vision is aligned with natural scene statistics at 4 months of age
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 07:09 authored by Alice SkeltonAlice Skelton, Anna Franklin, Jenny BostenJenny BostenVisual perception in adult humans is thought to be tuned to represent the statistical regularities of natural scenes. For example, in adults, visual sensitivity to different hues shows an asymmetry which coincides with the statistical regularities of colour in the natural world. Infants are sensitive to statistical regularities in social and linguistic stimuli, but whether or not infants' visual systems are tuned to natural scene statistics is currently unclear. We measured colour discrimination in infants to investigate whether or not the visual system can represent chromatic scene statistics in very early life. Our results reveal the earliest association between vision and natural scene statistics that has yet been found: even as young as 4 months of age, colour vision is aligned with the distributions of colours in natural scenes. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We find infants' colour sensitivity is aligned with the distribution of colours in the natural world, as it is in adults. At just 4 months, infants' visual systems are tailored to extract and represent the statistical regularities of the natural world. This points to a drive for the human brain to represent statistical regularities even at a young age.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
Developmental ScienceISSN
1363-755XPublisher
WileyExternal DOI
Page range
e13402 1-8Event location
EnglandDepartment affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2023-05-24First Open Access (FOA) Date
2023-05-24First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2023-05-24Usage metrics
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