Newborns’ preference for up–down asymmetrical configurations

Abstract

The present study was aimed at investigating whether, because of a differential sensitivity between the upper and the lower visual fields, in a visual preference task newborns would orient more frequently and look longer at patterns with a great number of high-contrast areas in the upper or lower visual field. Newborns were presented with three pairs of geometrical stimuli, each composed of a pattern with a greater number of elements in the upper part or a pattern with more elements in the lower part. The results showed a reliable preference for the stimuli that had more elements in the upper than in the lower part. The evidence obtained suggests the possibility that, at birth, the visibility of a stimulus depends not only on its sensory properties, but also on its structural characteristics.

Newborns' preference for face-relevant stimuli: Effects of contrast polarity

“…The results of Experiment 1 contradict the prediction drawn from the account that explains newborns' face preference only by a nonspecific bias toward top-heavy stimuli (3). Although all conditions in Experiment 1 contrasted an ''upright'' and an ''inverted'' configuration, the newborns displayed selective preference only in two of these contrasts.…”

“…However, controversy remains as to whether this preference is based on one or more nonspecific biases in the newborn's visual system that happen to maximally respond to faces or whether the underlying mechanisms are stimulusspecific (1,3). This issue is important to debates in several fields, including developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience.…”

A behavioural and ERP investigation of 3-month-olds’ face preferences

“…Pair 2 -a top-heavy and a bottom-heavy non-face configuration-was presented in order to verify if the attentional bias toward top-heavy non face patterns, as has been found with newborns ( Simion et al, 2002 ), is still active to any extent in 3-month-old infants. Understanding the power of the top-heavy property in inducing a preference for non-face-like stimuli was necessary for interpreting the role of the top-heavy property in producing the face preference predicted to be observed in Pair 1, as well as for making previsions regarding the possible outcome for the direct comparison performed in Pair 3 between an upright face and a top-heavy non-face pattern.…”

“…This work showed that newborns' face preference derives from a number of more general attentional biases that cause certain structural properties of a visual stimulus to be preferred, rather than from a content-determined bias for the unique geometry of the face ( Simion, Macchi Cassia, Turati & Valenza, 2003 ). In fact, much evidence is now available supporting the contention that the visual structural properties embedded in the face are capable of producing a preferential response also when they are embedded in non-face stimuli ( Macchi Cassia, Valenza, Pividori & Simion, 2002;Simion, Valenza, Macchi Cassia, Turati & Umiltà, 2002 ). Specifically, one of these structural properties (i.e., up-down asymmetry) relates to the up-down asymmetrical distribution of the inner facial features along the horizontal plane (i.e.…”

“…Specifically, one of these structural properties (i.e., up-down asymmetry) relates to the up-down asymmetrical distribution of the inner facial features along the horizontal plane (i.e. faces tipically display two features -the eyes-in the upper part and one feature -the mouth-in the lower part) ( Macchi Cassia, Turati & Simion, 2004;Simion et al, 2002;Turati, Simion, Milani & Umiltà, 2002 ).…”