Infant Visual Diet
We know a lot about the adult visual diet and the way that statistical regularities (called 'scene statistics') vary for adults. We know comparatively little about the infant visual diet and very little about the chromatic diet of infants. We have collected head cam data from colour calibrated Go Pros of infants daily life resulting in over ~100,000 images,
Infant Cognition and Scenes of Nature
There are many reports about the cognitve benefits of nature for adults and children, but the developmental trajectory and mechanisms behind these benefits remains unclear. This project is exploring how different elements of nature scenes can impact infant cogniton and perception. For example, are infants drawn to look more at stimuli which match the way that the 'real world' varies than stimuli that is person-made?
Cross Environmental Differences in Visual Diet
Measuring the perception and cognition of adults who have grown up in different visual environments is another way to investigate the way that our visual system tunes to the environment around us. We collected data quantifying the visual diet of people living in these environments, a battery of colour perception tasks, and information about their developmental history. These projects were part of an ERC funded grant COLOURMIND to Prof. Anna Franklin.
Baby View
A digital filter to simulat infant visual experience based on psychophysical data measuring infant visual sensitivity. Infant vision is substantially poorer than adult vision. Infant sensitivity to detail, light, colour, and contrast is reduced relative to adults, and although there is rapid improvement in infancy, many elements of vision takes years to reach ‘adult like’ sensitivity. As a result, the appearance of stimuli, objects and scenes differ for infants and adults.
Team
Kath Symons
Kath's PhD focuses on the relationship between the development of aesthetic preferences and the early sensory biases infants have for the image statistics found in nature, art, and pattern.
I co-supervise Kath (60%) with Prof Anna Franklin.
Taysa-Ja Newman
Taysa's PhD focuses on the ways that nature and its visual components might be 'good' for babies. For example, how does exposure to nature impact cognition? Do natural stimuli reduce stress in infants similarly to how it does in adults?
MSc Researchers
Tilly Potter (MRes Psychological Methods) : Infant Cognition and Nature Scenes
Undergraduate Researchers
2023 - 2024 : 8 UG students with projects on infant sleep, aesthetics and natural scene statistics, infant and adult looking behaviours to complex scenes.