A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

What did Fantz (1963) discover about babies' preferences in visual patterns?

1. They prefer simple patterns over complex ones

2. They can only notice movements

3. They prefer complex patterns to simple patterns

4. They have no recognizable pattern preference

The correct answer is: They prefer complex patterns to simple patterns

Fantz (1963) made significant contributions to our understanding of infant visual perception by demonstrating that babies have a distinct preference for complex visual patterns over simpler ones. In his studies, Fantz presented infants with different visual stimuli, including both simple and complex patterns. He found that infants spent more time looking at the complex patterns, which suggests that they are not only capable of visual discrimination but also that they are attracted to intricate designs. This preference indicates that even at a very young age, babies exhibit a level of interest and cognitive engagement with their visual environment that goes beyond mere recognition of movement. This finding has important implications for our understanding of cognitive and perceptual development in infants, as it highlights their sophisticated ability to process complex visual information from an early age.