Developmental Shifts in Stimulus Processing (Classification, Discrimination, Autism)

Classification and discrimination responding patterns were examined in normal children (3-, 5-, 9-11-year-old), autistic children, and college adults. Previous research has produced two different sets of results in low-mental age children. In one cluster of studies, research has indicated that young children respond to several cues within a stimulus object. In a second cluster of studies, researchers have found that young normal and autistic children typically respond to only one stimulus cue. In this thesis, it is argued that responding differences in low-mental age children are a function of the stimulus materials employed in the experimental task. In the present study, stimulus objects were varied on two dimensions. These dimensions were either spatially integrated or spatially separated, and the classification and discrimination tasks could be solved by responding to one or both dimensions. For spatially integrated dimensions, low-mental age normal and autistic children responded to both dimensions, whereas, for spatially separated dimensions they responded to only one dimension. For both spatially integrated and separated dimensions, older children responded to only one dimension, and adults responded to both dimensions. The results provide new information about developmental shifts in stimulus processing as a function of stimulus type. The findings have important implications for several theories of cognitive development.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Edelson, Stephen Michael

• Psychology, Developmental

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8521757

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/69658