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  • Review Article
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Development of visual object recognition

Nature Reviews Psychology volume 3, pages 73–90 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Object recognition is the process by which humans organize the visual world into meaningful perceptual units. In this Review, we examine the developmental origins and maturation of object recognition by synthesizing research from developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience and computational modelling. We describe the extent to which infants demonstrate early traces of adult visual competencies within their first year. The rapid development of these competencies is supported by infant-specific biological and experiential constraints, including blurry vision and ‘self-curation’ of object viewpoints that best support learning. We also discuss how the neural mechanisms that support object-recognition abilities in infancy seem to differ from those in adulthood, with less engagement of the ventral visual pathway. We conclude that children’s specific developmental niche shapes early object-recognition abilities and their neural underpinnings.

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Fig. 1: Different retinal projections of a dog.
Fig. 2: Procedures for studying the development of visual perception and object recognition.
Fig. 3: Shape sensitivity in the infant brain.
Fig. 4: One-shot object categorization in human infants.
Fig. 5: Experience is necessary for the development of category-selectivity.
Fig. 6: Development of visual functions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Vladislav Ayzenberg

  2. Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Vladislav Ayzenberg & Marlene Behrmann

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Marlene Behrmann

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Ayzenberg, V., Behrmann, M. Development of visual object recognition. Nat Rev Psychol 3, 73–90 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-023-00266-w

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