Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2026

A Method to Quantify Visual Information Processing in Children Using Eye Tracking
Published on: July 9, 2016
Color-based motion processing is stronger in infants than in adults
Karen R Dobkins1, Christina M Anderson
1Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego La Jolla 92093, USA. kdobkins@ucsd.edu
Abstract:
One hallmark of vision in adults is the dichotomy between color and motion processing. Specifically, areas of the brain that encode an object's direction of motion are thought to receive little information about object color We investigated the development of this dichotomy by conducting psychophysical experiments with human subjects (2-, 3-, and 4-month-olds and adults), using a novel red-green stimulus that isolates color-based input to motion processing. When performance on this red-green motion stimulus was quantified with respect to performance on a luminance (yellow-black) standard, we found stronger color-based motion processing in infants than in adults. These results suggest that color input to motion areas is greater early in life, and that motion areas then specialize to the adultlike state by reweighting or selectively pruning their inputs over the course of development.
Related Concept Videos
Vision During Infancy and Toddlerhood
Perceptual Development During Infancy
Information-Processing Approach
Perceiving Language Sounds and Structure During Infancy
Color Vision
Hearing During Infancy and Toddlerhood

