INFANTS PERCEPTION OF AUDITORY SPACE

Infants between 26 and 32 weeks of age were presented with sounding objects in the dark at four locations, 30° left and right, within reaching distance (15 cm) and out of reach (60 cm) at the same orientation. Infants' ability to localize the sound was assessed by measuring reaches of either hand into the space occupied by the objects when within reach. In two experiments infants reached more often into the correct location of the sounding object when placed within reach than when placed beyond reach. In the second experiment the objects were presented at midline in the light and off midline in the dark. Infants reached correctly in the dark and showed no inclination to reach toward the midline position where they had handled the object in the light. By 7 months of age infants have at least a dichotomous discrimination of auditory space: within and beyond reach. The implications of these behaviors are discussed in relation to object permanence and cognitive development.