A light in the dark; an investigation of fetal visual perception
How does a fetus engage with their visual world? Prenatal developmental trajectories are primarily unexplored, with fetal visual perception the most poorly understood of all sensory systems. In the third trimester, fetuses not only possess the ability to process perceptual information, but recent research suggests that enough light penetrates the womb to enable a visual experience. Understanding fetal visual capabilities has the potential to reshape our knowledge of both visual and psychological developmental trajectories. This thesis sits at the intersection of developmental psychology, medical imaging, and vision science. The overall aim of this work is to assess fetal visual function through novel experimental paradigms. We employed 2D ultrasound to visualize the fetal lens and index eye movements in response to light stimuli presented in utero. Tracking fetal eye movements in response to visual stimuli beyond light / no light has never been previously attempted. Three separate experiments explore central elements of fetal visual perception and cognition, including differential fetal responding to temporal and nasal visual fields, anticipatory gaze, and fetal sensitivity to agentive motion cues. The results of these studies demonstrate that the fetus actively engages with their visual environment exhibiting a preference for stimuli presented in their temporal visual field and the ability to perform anticipatory visual gaze, specifically that fetuses can use an auditory cue to anticipate the appearance of a light stimulus. These experiments and new methods offer new key insights into early sensory and psychological development.
fetal vision, developmental psychology, prenatal, visual perception
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