INFANT CHROMATIC AND LUMINANCE CONTRAST SENSITIVITY

我们建议扩展我们的基础知识和理论 色觉发展的三个基本认识 实验 首先，我们计划测量色彩和亮度对比度 阈值是年龄的函数。 我们将跟踪事态发展 从3个月大的时候开始， 只要达到成人的色觉。 的相对速率 彩色和亮度对比敏感度的发展可能 有助于我们理解为什么年轻人的色觉 孩子们太可怜了。 其次，我们计划比较色彩和亮度对比度 使用正弦光栅刺激测量的灵敏度（通常 刺激），并测量色度和亮度对比度刺激 使用边缘刺激，这种刺激越来越多地用于 视觉研究 这将有助于我们理解 色觉和空间视觉。 很可能 边缘刺激有一天可以用于临床测试， 婴儿，如果是这样的话， 实验很重要。 第三，我们计划测量白色之间的歧视阈值， 以及在亮度和/或激发纯度上不同于 白色。 这些阈值，作为年龄的函数来测量， 婴儿的色觉是否与 或者说它只是不那么敏感。 这些阈值中的另一组将测量 个别受体机制，并与结果一起， 第一个实验，将帮助我们达到一个定量的 了解为什么婴儿的色觉很差。

We propose to extend our basic knowledge and theoretical understanding of color vision development with three basic experiments. First, we plan to measure chromatic and luminance contrast thresholds as a function of age. We will follow the development of color vision from its inception at about age 3 months to whenever adult-like color vision is attained. The relative rates of development of chromatic and luminance contrast sensitivity may contribute to our understanding of why the color vision of young infants is so poor. Second, we plan to compare chromatic and luminance contrast sensitivity measured using sinusoidal grating stimuli (the usual stimulus) with chromatic and luminance contrast stimuli measured using edge stimuli, a stimulus that is increasingly being used in vision research. This will help us understand the relation between color vision and spatial vision during development. It is likely that edge stimuli could some day be used in clinical testing of infants, and if so the basic information from this kind of experiment will be important. Third, we plan to measure discrimination thresholds between white and stimuli differing in luminance and/or excitation purity from white. Those thresholds, measured as a function of age, will tell us whether the color vision of infants differs qualitatively from that of adults, or whether it is just uniformly less sensitive. Another set of those thresholds will measure the sensitivity of the individual receptor mechanisms, and, together with the results of the first experiment, will help us arrive at a quantitative understanding of why infants' color vision is poor.