Perceptual development changes dramatically over the first year of an infant’s life. Eleanor and James Gibson’s differentiation theory discusses how perceptual development unfolds during this time period. In this discussion we will explore these concepts further.

As you create your discussion post, consider the following:

• Have you seen a child slow as he/she approaches a step? How about a child that jumps full force into a swimming pool? These are both examples of perceptual development. Should parents’ watch their child’s every step, or is it necessary for the child to fall and learn for themselves?

By the end of this discussion, you will be able to:

• Discuss changes in hearing, depth and pattern perception, and intermodal perception that occur during infancy.
• Explain differentiation theory of perceptual development

Complete the following:

According to Eleanor and James Gibson’s differentiation theory, perceptual development reflects infants’ active search for invariant features. Explain the differentiation theory using specific examples. Include examples from the research on hearing, pattern perception, and intermodal perception. Be sure to include in your response information from the textbook or other psychology-specific sources.

Students are expected to post one initial major response (minimum 125 words) to each discussion question and respond to a minimum of two other initial posts. Compose your work using a separate word processor and save it frequently. When you are ready to make your initial posting, please click on the “Create Thread” button below and copy/paste the text, which you have grammar and spell checked, from your Word document into the message field. Please do not attach documents in the discussions because they are hard for everyone to read. In your response, be sure to include information from the textbook or other dedicated psychology sources. Be sure to use APA style citations to show where sources were used in your response. For sources other than the textbook, please list them as references at the end in APA format. It is fine to provide links to online sources if you wish. Then, reply to the postings of at least two other class members. You may agree or disagree, but you need to support your statements with facts, experience or information.

According to Eleanor and James Gibson’s differentiation theory, perceptual development reflects infants’ active search for invariant features. Explain the differentiation theory using specific examples. Include examples from the research on hearing, pattern perception, and intermodal perception. Be sure to include in your response information from the textbook or other psychology-specific sources.

Initial Discussion Post

We ask that your initial post should be at least 250 words and must substantively integrate the assigned readings from the module with proper APA style formatting. You may use additional sources and materials as long as they are relevant to the discussion and cited properly with APA style citations.