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Real-world size is automatically encoded in preschoolers' object representations.
Bria Long1, Mariko Moher2, Susan Carey1
1Department of Psychology.
Summary
Preschoolers automatically process real-world object sizes, even when visual cues conflict. This automatic size processing emerges by 3-4 years of age, influencing their perception.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Adults automatically process an object's real-world size when viewing images.
- The developmental trajectory of this automatic size processing is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether preschoolers exhibit automatic real-world size processing.
- To determine the age at which this cognitive ability emerges.
Main Methods:
- Preschoolers (3-4 years old) performed visual size judgments on object images.
- Stimuli varied in visual size congruence with real-world size (congruent vs. incongruent).
- Size-Stroop effects were analyzed to infer automatic processing.
Main Results:
- Preschoolers were less accurate on incongruent trials, indicating interference from real-world size.
- Four-year-olds and adults showed similar Size-Stroop effects.
- Object recognition did not influence the magnitude of these effects in 4-year-olds.
Conclusions:
- Automatic real-world size extraction from depicted objects is present by 3-4 years of age.
- This ability develops early and is triggered by perceptual features, not necessarily object recognition.