# DEVELOPMENT OF FORM PERCEPTION IN INFANCY

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · 1993 · $157,257

## Abstract

Many aspects of spatial vision improve significantly during the
first year of life At birth, contrast sensitivity, contrast
discrimination threshold, grating acuity, and vernier acuity are
all at least an order of magnitude poorer than mature values.  Two
primary goals in studies of visual development are:  (a) to
determine the consequences of such low sensitivity to the
perception of various visual attributes and (b) to understand the
optical and neural underpinnings of perinatal deficits and post-
natal improvements.  This application outlines a program of
research to examine several aspects of spatial and chromatic visual
sensitivity early in life.  The guiding theme for much of the
proposed research can be stated as a question: To what extent can
age-related changes in pre-neural structures (e.g., optics, and
photoreceptors) account for early spatial and chromatic visual
deficits and their subsequent improvement?  Answers to this
question will help delineate the relative contributions of pre-
neural and neural development to age changes in visual function.

There are four specific aims.

(1)  We will construct ideal observers with the characteristics of
the eyes and photoreceptors of infants of various ages.  Their
performance will be examined for a variety of spatial and chromatic
visual tasks.  Disparities in ideal performance at various ages
will help delineate the consequences of immature optics and
photoreceptors.

(2)  We will examine several aspects of the development of
luminance contrast sensitivity and grating and vernier acuity.  The
experiments will provide useful data in their own right, but they
are particularly important to deducing the consequences of immature
photoreception on the development of performance in these tasks.

(3)  We will examine the development of chromatic sensitivity, too.
Again these experiments will provide useful data in their own
right, but they are designed specifically to determine if age
changes in overall visual efficiency are sufficient to explain the
development of chromatic discrimination or whether age changes in
chromatic mechanisms per se are implied.

(4)  Finally, we will study the development of spatial phase
discrimination using a paradigm that has illuminated fascinating
anomalies in normal adult peripheral vision and in the central
vision of adult amblyopes.  We will examine the relationship
between these phase anomalies and infants' phase sensitivity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2197898
- **Project number:** 5R01HD019927-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** GS3YEVSS12N6
- **Principal Investigator:** MARTIN S BANKS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $157,257
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1985-01-01 → 1994-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2197898

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2197898, DEVELOPMENT OF FORM PERCEPTION IN INFANCY (5R01HD019927-09). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2197898. Licensed CC0.

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