Stimulus-schema discrepancy and attention in the infant

,J,,URN.,L

“F

EXPEMMEXT.4L

Stimulus-Schema

CllILD

PSYCIIOLOGY

Discrepancy

5, 381-390

and

(1067)

Attention

in the Infant’

An attempt was made to &ablish cxpcrimt,ntally a n~\v schema in infants by exposing them to a standard stimulus between their thirdand fourthmonth birthdays. The discrcl)ancy hypothesis was test4 by presenting the st i~~~l~l~~s-e~perien~c~l infants and a group of noncqxripnced controls with 111~ stan~lard stimulus and three gradfxd discrrpancics from it. Magnitude of g function of dkwpancy for girls but ~x~liac d~~(~~~lf~ration rvas an increwin not for lx~ys. Stimulus diffcrenccs in fixation time were minimal fnr both wws. The results for fcmak,s supporkd 1hc dixrcpancy hy~~othcsis as well :t+ the construct validity nf cardiac dcwl~~x~tion as an indtsx of the dynamic jlro~*~w of matrIling ;t nrx input 10 a xlwrnx.

a

I I

b

d

TABLE EXPOSURE ANLI EDITCATION DATA RESPONSE TO DISCREPANCY

Subject

Exposure period (days)

Frequency of exposure

1 AXD MAGNITUDE IN KXPERIENCEII

&>duc. level<1

OF CARDIAC INFASTS

inter&ion to consist of :L clifferenw in linc:ir trend (F = 5.81, (If = l/19, p < .05). There was some difference clue to the quxhtic component, but it did not rwch significance (F = 2.14). Interestingly, the nz~turc of this difference in trcncl suggests tht :I given stimulus elicits larger clcceler:~tions when it is cliscrqx~nt thn when it is tot:dly unfamihr. I

1

BOYS-

MOBILE

/

GIRLS-CONTROL

BOYS-

CONTROL

I