THE HAPTIC PROCESSING OF TEXTURE AND SHAPE BY 7-MONTH-OLD TO 9-MONTH-OLD INFANTS

This study was designed to assess whether infants can encode both the texture and shape of the same haptic stimulus or alternatively are confined to encoding only one feature or the other. A sample of 24 infants (mean age 31.8 weeks) was familiarized to one stimulus and then presented with this familiar stimulus and two other stimuli, one being novel either in texture or shape and the other novel in both these features. Only haptic contact with the stimuli was permitted. The pattern of responses to the three stimuli confirmed that the infants encoded both texture and shape.