Previewing: A Catalyst for Coordinating Developmental Functions

Abstract

Foremost among the questions confronting developmental theorists is the issue of how the infant perceives the stimuli impinging upon him from the external world and how this seemingly incomprehensible panoramic swirl of visual, auditory, and tactile imagery comes to be organized in a meaningful fashion. One way of probing this issue is to begin with information that is known about the neonate’s developmental capabilities. It is known, for example, that even neonates just a few minutes old possess a degree of sensory awareness that acquaints them with the external environment. Various physiological tests have verified visual, auditory, and tactile awareness and sensitivity that is surprisingly acute, and such measures as the the Brazelton Neonatal Assessment have confirmed that indeed newborns are relating to the world with an impressive sensory apparatus. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to explain the process whereby the neonate’s incipient perceptual skills mature to the point of enabling him to decipher the external environment in a sophisticated manner.