Head and shoulders, knees and toes: Which parts of the body are necessary to be seen?

Nicola McGuigan, Martin J. Doherty

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Children aged 2 and 3 years were tested for a previously neglected form of knowledge about visual perception; namely, whether an observer can see a figure that is partially occluded. The results indicate that for children of this age the visibility of a figure's face is crucial for judging visibility, whereas the visibility of the legs is not. This phenomenon is limited to human-like figures. Results are explained in terms of engagement, a precursor to a mature understanding of attention.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)727-732
Number of pages6
JournalBritish Journal of Developmental Psychology
Volume24
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2006

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