This program of research investigates the ability of mildly mentally retarded adults to perceive and process correctly certain classes of stimuli with distinctive attributes. Included are global stereoscopic forms, global kinetic forms, patterns of biological motion and size/distance interactions produced by 3-D space. These stimuli engage preattentive processes early in the visual system and are seen effortlessly by nonretarded persons. However, prior research has demonstrated that such stimuli reveal substantial perceptual deficits in mildly retarded persons under conditions that eliminate, as contributing factors, peripheral visual anomalies and failures of comprehension. This is a surprising outcome because mild retardation is generally regarded to be a product of intellectual and cognitive deficiencies. The proposed inquiry seeks to specify more precisely the characteristics of these perceptual deficits. The resulting data should contribute directly to a deeper understanding of mental retardation. More generally they bear on the issue of the separability of cognitive and perceptual processes.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD027716-02
Application #
3329457
Study Section
Human Development and Aging Subcommittee 3 (HUD)
Project Start
1991-08-01
Project End
1995-07-31
Budget Start
1992-08-01
Budget End
1993-07-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
004413456
City
Nashville
State
TN
Country
United States
Zip Code
37212