Overview

Perceptual development involves changes in sensory abilities and how individuals interpret and interact with their environment. From infancy to old age, humans experience shifts in how they see, hear, and process sensory information—shaped by both biology and experience.

Key Themes and Concepts

• Habituation: A decrease in response to a repeated stimulus. Used in research to measure infant perception and memory.
• Sensory Acuity: At birth, sensory systems like touch and smell are relatively well developed, while vision and hearing improve significantly over the first year.
• Sensorimotor Activities: Infants learn through physical interaction with their environment. Activities like grasping, crawling, and visual tracking are tied to sensory development.
• Sensitive Periods: Specific windows during which certain sensory experiences are crucial for typical development. For example, normal visual input is essential early in life for full visual acuity.
• Sensory Deprivation: Lack of sensory input during critical stages can result in lasting deficits. Animal studies and rare human cases show long-term effects of deprivation.
• Changes Across the Life Span: Perceptual abilities decline with age—common examples include presbyopia (vision) and presbycusis (hearing loss). Adaptations and interventions can help maintain function.

Quick Tip

Understand the concept of sensitive periods and the progression of sensory development from infancy through adulthood. CLEP questions may use examples of habituation studies or ask about age-related perceptual decline.