Effect of developmental change in optic flow perception on maturation of locomotor behavior

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26705009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Shirai Nobu 新潟大学, 人文社会・教育科学系, 准教授 (50554367)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 光学的流動 / 運動視 / 乳児 / 幼児 / 児童 / 移動行動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated the development of gaze patterns in response to radial optic flow, one of the main visual cues for locomotor control, among children 0-12 years of age and adults. Results showed that adults tended to look more frequently around the focus than the periphery of a radial flow pattern, whereas infants aged < 1-2 years tended to look more frequently around the periphery than the focus of a radial flow pattern. Although the adult-like asymmetrical gaze pattern (looking more frequently around the focus than the periphery of a radial flow) was observed in those 5-6 years of age, the mean looking time at the focus of a radial flow reached adult levels only after 11-12 years of age. The results imply that visuo-locomotor interaction develops in a protracted manner until the later stage of childhood.

Free Research Field

実験心理学