Object Representation Essay

Cognition is the organization of understandings based on perception, memories, beliefs etc (Streri, de Hevia, Izard & Coubart, 2013). The narrowing of the understanding of cognition tends to lead to a connection to the concept of representations (Streri, de Hevia, Izard & Coubart, 2013). Representations is the formation of a memory (Streri, de Hevia, Izard & Coubart, 2013). Object representations is a fundamental ability for everyday interactions (Feigenson & Yamaguchi, 2009). For example, one look around a room full of people it is easy to pick out the people you know and the people you don’t (Scott, 2011). Even though representations are a fundamental aspect in environments it also has accompanying challenges (Feigenson & Yamaguchi, 2009). When object representations are formed, objects must be understood as individuals despite perceptual shifts such as shadows (Feigenson & Yamaguchi, 2009). The challenges that accompany object representation have been found to be resolved during infancy (Feigenson & Yamaguchi, 2009). Infants have been shown to be competent with object representation but have difficulty in demonstrating this ability (Shinskey, 2008). The principles that support object representations are present at birth but become more attuned with experience (Shinskey, 2008; Hauf, Paulus, & Baillargeon 2012). The supporting principles are multidirectional, when developmental changes occur in ability to preform actions they influence cognition and perception (Shinskey, 2008). Multimodal events also cause changes in perception (Baumgartner & Oakes, 2013). More specifically, different modalities compete for infant’s attention (Baumgartner & Oakes, 2013). Changes in cognition also affect action and perception (Shinskey, 2008). An object concept is an essential fundamental constituent of everyday human life across the life span. The knowledge that objects do not disappear from existence when not in view or still exist independent from perception relates object concepts to object permeance (Shinskey, 2008). Piaget influenced the understanding of action and action goals and the relation each has to the formation of concept (Mounound, Duscherer, Moy & Perraudin, 2007). Action and action goals are related. Action in the simplest definition is a simple movement whereas action goal is the expected end-result of an action (Mounound et al., 2007). Object Individuation It has been assumed that once infants have object permeance, they can individuate objects (Carey, & Xu, 2001). Object individuation is the ability to distinguish if the object they previously saw is the same as the object they saw next (Carey, & Xu, 2001). More specifically, object individuation is the capability to establish the number of distinct objects shown during an event, using perception and cognitive abilities to represent the number of distinct, separate objects and follow them across viewings of time and distance (Xu & Baker, 2005; Kingo & Krøjgaard, 2012; Johnson & Woods, 2016; Van de Walle, Carey, & Prevor, 2000). Object individuation is a process that adults use every day, without much effort (Kingo & Krøjgaard, 2012). For example (Figure 1), assume we drive the same car every day, if that car were to change color or the body of the car changed, we would know that the car did not morph into the car we see but is a separate, distinct car from the one that we always drive. Object individuation is essential to cognition across the lifespan because it allows us to know that what we see now, is the same or different from what we saw previously (Kingo & Krøjgaard, 2012). Individuating objects requires the formation of a memory (i.e representation) (Zosh & Feigenson, 2012). Object individuation is different from object recognition in that the process of object recognition involves a need for the understanding of an object and previous exposure to the object (Reynolds, Guy & Zhang, 2011). In order to succeed at an individuation task, the infant must hold …show more content…
More specifically, most infant research on object individuation focuses on the ability to establish that there is one object or two objects shown in the display through object tracking, such as following a ball across a stage after it has passed behind an occluder, similar to Figure 1 (Van de Walle, Carey, & Prevor, 2000). For example, in the everyday life of an adult, greeting a person who entered the room and knowing that, assuming they leave and return, it is the same person or a different person based on the three types of information sources (Kingo & Krøjgaard,