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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
09:38
Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
Feeling the parts: a developmental study of separable perception with tactile dimensions
The Journal of General Psychology
|April 1, 1995
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Perceptual Psychology
- Haptic Perception
Background:
- Understanding how children perceive and process sensory information is crucial for developmental psychology.
- The distinction between integral and separable stimulus dimensions influences perceptual organization and learning.
- Previous research suggests a developmental shift from integral to separable perception, but this is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate perceptual sensitivity to tactile dimensions (texture, hardness, shape) in 5- and 11-year-old children.
- To examine how children utilize separate dimensions for object classification without visual input.
- To explore age-related and individual differences in the salience of tactile dimensions.
Main Methods:
- A tetrad classification task was employed, requiring children to group objects based on touch alone.
- Participants included 5-year-old and 11-year-old children.
- Objects varied in tactile dimensions such as texture, hardness, and shape.
Main Results:
- Both age groups successfully used individual tactile dimensions (hardness, shape) to group objects.
- Five-year-olds prioritized hardness, while 11-year-olds utilized both hardness and shape.
- Neither age group reliably used overall (integral) similarity for classification.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the differential-sensitivity view of cognitive development.
- Results align with Garner's integral versus separable stimulus structure distinction.
- The study does not support a developmental trend from integral to separable perception in haptic tasks.
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