YOUNG INFANTS VISUAL EXPECTATIONS FOR SYMMETRICAL AND ASYMMETRIC STIMULUS SEQUENCES

The formation of expectations for visual stimulus sequences was examined in 2- and 3-month-old infants. Two studies were undertaken in which infants' visual fixations were monitored while they viewed predictable and unpredictable sequences of stimuli. Analyses of anticipatory fixations and reaction times (RTs) indicated that by 2 months of age infants can rapidly (within 2 min) form an expectation for the reappearance of an alternate-side event. By 3 months of age, infants rapidly form expectations for asymmetric sequences. Age differences in RT and percent of anticipated pictures suggest rapid development in this domain. Results are discussed in relation to hypotheses of entrainment and global probability matching. It is concluded that young infants quickly develop a crude representation of the spatial, temporal, and possibly numerical parameters of stimulus sequences to anticipate future events.