In recent years, significant, indeed dramatic, advances have occurred in the study of perception. These have been made possible by, and, in fact, in- clude methodological advances such as the development of signal detection theory and the application of linear systems analysis to auditory and visual per- ception. They are reflected in an interest in the study of ecologically valid perceptual problems, e. g. , control of locomotion, speech perception, reading, perceptual-motor coordination, and perception of events. At the same time, exciting new insights have been gained to some of the classical problems of perception-stereoscopic vision, color vision, attention, position constancy, to mention a few. A broad, comparative approach to perception has also been taken. This approach, which includes the detailed study of human infant per- ception as well as cross-cultural and cross-species investigations, has given us a very broad perspective of the perceptual process. In this context, the present volume inaugurates a new series entitled' 'Per- ception and Perceptual Development: A Critical Review Series. " The editors are particularly gratified by the enthusiastic support for their ideas by Seymour Weingarten of Plenum Press. He and the editorial staff of Plenum Press have been of immense help in initiating the series as well as helping with the details of this first volume.

Table of Contents:
I Comparative Studies of Effects of Experience on Perception.- References.- 1 Altered Early Environment: Effects on the Brain and Visual Behavior.- 1. Advantages of Visual System Analysis.- 2. Feature Detectors: A Model of Visual Processing.- 2.1. Detectors in the Adult.- 2.2. Detectors in the Newborn.- 3. Altered Early Environments: A Means of Assessing Innate vs. Experiential Factors.- 3.1. Monocular and Binocular Deprivation.- 3.2. X, Y, and W Afferents: An Addition to the Model.- 3.3. Effect of Visual Deprivation on X, Y, and W Cells.- 3.4. Alternating Monocular Occlusion and Surgically Induced Squint.- 3.5. Early Selective Visual Experience.- 4. Conclusions.- 5. References.- 2 Effect of Early Visual Experience on the Development of Certain Perceptual Abilities in Animals and Man.- 1. Historical Perspective.- 2. New Evidence.- 2.1. Properties of Visual Cortical Cells in the Neonate.- 2.2. Effects of Selective Visual Deprivation.- 3. Implications for Perception.- 3.1. Modification of Vision in Animals by Abnormal Early Visual Input.- 3.2. Modification of Vision in Humans by Abnormal Early Visual Input.- 4. Conclusions.- 5. References.- 3 Depth Perception and Experience.- 1. Introduction.- 2. The Human Infant.- 3. The Unlearned Nature of Depth Perception.- 3.1. Precocial Species.- 3.2. Altricial Species.- 4. Studies of Experience with Animals.- 4.1. Genetic Ecological Experience.- 4.2. Reared in "Flat," "Cliff," or "Enriched" Environments, or over Visual Depths.- 4.3. Visual Deprivation.- 4.4. Visuomotor Experience.- 4.5. "Mothering".- 4.6. Improvement and Experience.- 5. Discussion and Conclusion.- 5.1. Adaptation and Ecology.- 5.2. Psychology and Ethology.- 5.3. Measures of Depth Perception.- 5.4. The Perceptual Response.- 5.5. Sensorimotor Effects.- 5.6. Plasticity and Pervasiveness.- 5.7. Plasticity and Phylogeny.- 6. References.- 4 Auditory Environment and Vocal Development in Birds.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Vocal Development Independent of Auditory Environment.- 3. Birdsong.- 4. Effects of Auditory Isolation on Song Development.- 5. Predisposition to Learn Conspecific Song.- 6. Cues for Song Recognition.- 7. Critical Period of Song Learning.- 8. Role of Auditory Feedback.- 9. Concept of a Song Template.- 10. Concluding Remarks.- 11. References.- II Effects of Prolonged Experience on Human Perception.- References.- 5 Role of Linguistic Experience in the Perception of Speech.- 1. Introduction.- 2. The Speech Code.- 3. The Categorical Perception Phenomenon.- 4. Some Recent Research on Categorical Perception.- 4.1. Is Categorical Perception Unique to Speech?.- 4.2. Is Categorical Perception of Speech Unique to Humans?.- 5. Categorical Perception and Linguistic Experience.- 5.1. Cross-Language Studies of Voice Onset Time.- 5.2. Cross-Language Studies of Place of Articulation.- 5.3. Within-Language Studies.- 5.4. Laboratory Training Studies.- 6. Development of Phonetic Perception.- 6.1. Cross-Language Studies with Infants.- 6.2. Developmental Studies of Phonetic Perception.- 6.3. Critical Periods in Perceptual Development.- 6.4. Relationship of Perception and Production.- 6.5. Summary of the Developmental Research.- 7. Conclusions and Directions for Future Research.- 8. References.- 6 Cultural Effects on Pictorial Perception: How Many Words Is One Picture Really Worth?.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Trivial Projective Ambiguity: Fully Colored and Detailed Pictures.- 3. Conversion of Colored Pictures to Black and White.- 4. Nontrivial Projective Ambiguity: Outline Drawings.- 5. Recognition of Pictured Objects in Line Drawings.- 6. Embedded Figures Tests.- 7. Pictorial Depth Perception.- 8. Coexistence of Flatness and Depth Information in Pictures.- 9. Use of Conventional Symbols in Art.- 10. Cultural and Historical Options in Depiction.- 11. Summary and Future Directions.- 12. References.- 7 Visual Impairment and the Development of Perceptual Ability.- 1. Definition, Prevalence, Etiology.- 2. Concept Development.- 3. Tangible Graphics.- 4. Mobility.- 5. Alternatives to Visual Reading.- 5.1. Reading Large Print.- 5.2. Reading Braille.- 5.3. Reading by Listening.- 5.4. Machine Translation of the Print Code.- 6. Conclusions.- 7. References.- 8 Perceptual Effects of Deafness.- I. Introduction.- 2. Visual Perception and Deafness.- 2.1. Ocular Defects.- 2.2. Visual Test Performance and the Deficiency Hypothesis.- 2.3. The Compensation Hypothesis.- 2.4. Visual Memory for Simultaneous and Sequential Stimuli.- 2.5. Verbal Mediation in Perception and Cognition.- 2.6. Social Perception.- 3. Tactual Perception.- 4. Visual and Tactile Displays for Speech Perception.- 4.1. Visual Aids for Speech Perception.- 4.2. Tactile Aids for Speech Perception.- 5. Conclusions.- III Effects of Short-Term Experience on Human Perception.- References.- 9 Effects of Exposure to Spatially Distorted Stimuli.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Effects of Asymmetrical Stimulation.- 2.1. The Tilt Aftereffect.- 2.2. Kinesthetic Asymmetry.- 3. Effects of Distorting Frames of Reference.- 4. Perceptual Polarity: Effects of Reversed Frame of Reference.- 5. Effects of Discordant Sensory Stimulation.- 5.1. Effects of Intrasensory Discordance on Spatial Judgments.- 5.2. Effects of Intersensory Discordance on Spatial Judgments.- 5.3. Effects of Motorsensory Discordance on Spatial Judgments.- 5.4. Sensorimotor Consequences of Discordant Stimulation.- 5.5. Site of the Recalibration Involved in Visuomotor Adaptation.- 5.6. Conditions for Visuomotor Adaptation.- 6. References.- 10 Effects of Selective Adaptation on the Perception of Speech and Visual Patterns: Evidence for Feature Detectors.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Selective Adaptation and the Perception of Speech.- 2.1. Analysis of Voicing and Place of Articulation.- 2.2. Manner of Articulation.- 2.3. Contingent Adaptation Effects.- 2.4. Auditory vs. Phonetic Loci of the Adaptation Effects.- 2.5. Response Bias vs. Sensory Explanations.- 2.6. Nature of Feature Detectors for Speech.- 2.7. Operating Characteristics of Feature Detectors for Speech.- 2.8. Summary.- 3. Selective Adaptation and Visual Perception.- 3.1. Orientation.- 3.2. Spatial Frequency.- 3.3. Motion.- 3.4. Orientation and Color.- 3.5. Spatial Frequency and Color.- 3.6. Motion and Color.- 3.7. Monocularity of Color-Selective Units.- 3.8. Nature and Operation of Detectors for Visual Information.- 4. Final Comments.- 5. References.- 11 Development of Form Perception in Repeated Brief Exposures to Visual Stimuli.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Theoretical Background.- 2.1. Microgenetic Theory.- 2.2. Clarity Hypothesis and Hebbian Cell Assemblies.- 2.3. Decision-Making Models.- 2.4. Other Accounts of the Repetition Effect.- 3. Summary and Conclusions.- 4. References.- 12 Stimuli, the Perceiver, and Perception.- 1. Introduction.- 2. A Case of Serendipity.- 3. The Principle of Color Conversion.- 4. On the General Nature of Adaptation-Level Theory.- 5. Anchor Effects, Contrast, and Assimilation.- 6. Constancy, Transposition, and Stimulus Generalization.- 7. Illusions.- 8. Vigilance.- 9. Adaptation-Level Shifts: Changes in Judgment or Perception?...- 10. Conditions for Pooling.- 11. Adaptation-Level Theory and Psychophysics.- 12. Conclusion.- 13. References.- 13 A Perceptual View of Conceptual Development.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Subproblem Analysis of Discrimination Learning.- 3. Performance on Successively Learned Instances of a Concept.- 4. Studies of Perceptual Pretraining.- 5. Memory for Instances and Categories.- 6. Overview.- 7. Theoretical Treatment.- 7.1. Proposition: A Perceptual Basis of Conceptual Development.- 7.2. Is the Facilitative Pretraining Perceptual in Nature?.- 7.3. Are the Age Differences in Object vs. Dimensional Control a Matter of Ability or of Performance?.- 7.4. Is Dimensional Learning a Function of Maturation or of Experience?.- 7.5. Relation of Present Theory to Others.- 8. References.- Author Index.