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The Relative Encoding of Colour and Shape by 5-Month-Old Infants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Di Catherwood*
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology
Boris Crassini
Affiliation:
Deakin University
Kate Freiberg
Affiliation:
Deakin University
*
School of Early Childhood Studies, QUT, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, 4059
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Abstract

Infants were familiarized to one stimulus fora brief period of time and then presented with two test trials on which the familiar stimulus was paired with a stimulus novel in colour or one novel in shape. A significant preference for the novel stimulus was only evident in the former test, with this outcome being independent of the “categorical clarity” of the familiar colour. The findings indicate differential encoding rates for colour and shape for these stimuli and suggest a basis for explaining the salience of colour in children's early cognitive processing.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 1990

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References

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