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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

Newborns' perception of left-right spatial relations.

Lucia Gava¹, Eloisa Valenza, Chiara Turati

¹Dipartimento di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e della Socializzazione, via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy. lucia.gava@unipd.it

Child Development

|November 26, 2009

Summary

Newborns can distinguish left and right object positions relative to a landmark. This demonstrates early infant spatial perception and categorization abilities, crucial for cognitive development.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

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Published on: May 15, 2019

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

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Published on: February 8, 2019

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience
Infant Perception

Background:

Understanding the origins of spatial cognition in human infants is fundamental to developmental psychology.
Early development of spatial perception and categorization abilities in newborns remains an area of active research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the capacity of three-day-old newborns to discriminate and categorize spatial relations.
Specifically, to examine the discrimination of left-right object positions relative to a vertical landmark.

Main Methods:

Five experiments were conducted with 79 newborns.
Stimuli involved a blinking object-target and a vertical landmark-bar.
Varied perceptual conditions tested discrimination and categorization of spatial positions.

Main Results:

Newborns discriminated object positions along the up-down axis.
Infants demonstrated recognition of left-right spatial invariance under varying perceptual loads.
Evidence confirmed newborns' ability to distinguish categorical left-right positions, not just spatial distance.

Conclusions:

Newborns possess the ability to discriminate and categorize basic left-right spatial relations.
This suggests foundational spatial perception mechanisms are present at birth.
Findings contribute to understanding the early development of spatial cognition.