Perceptual Development

Sensations are units of information received from the environment, such as a visual feature or a sound. Perceptions are organized and interpreted sensations, such as recognizing a face or interpreting a sequence of sounds as a familiar song. These concepts represent more of a historical distinction than a functional distinction; nevertheless, the distinction between sensation and perception continues to be made by researchers and textbook writers. Perceptual development is the emerging capacity to detect information from the environment and from internal sources to adapt to and function within the world. Knowledge about the perceptual development of infants has expanded more rapidly than that of older children. This discrepancy has occurred because the earliest appearance of various perceptual capacities has been emphasized. In [Page 775]addition, knowledge ...