It is impossible to state that sight is more miraculous than
any other part of our wonderful bodies, but it is certainly a
very complicated process. The lens automatically absorbs what
it sees, but the brain feeds us far more detail. By looking
at an object, we know the size, the color, the feel of the
thing, where it is situated, what its purpose is etc. If we
see a car from close up and another from afar, the latter
will appear much smaller, yet we know that the two vehicles
are more or less the same size. The brain with its cognitive
experience automatically adjusts our perception.
What about babies without any cognitive experience? Although
the optic nerve begins to develop in a three-week-old fetus,
the whole visual system is not complete till after birth. How
does this affect a newborn baby? What does he see, and does
he see things differently from adults? How many mothers of
newborns ask almost immediately, "Is everything alright? Can
he see?"
The pupils of the eye contract or dilate according to the
amount of light to which they are exposed. This reflex
functions even in prematurely born babies, which proves that
they are sensitive to various strengths of light at birth.
Although this reflex works relatively sluggishly in babies,
if we move an object slowly in front of a baby who is only a
few days old, he will focus and be able to follow it with his
eyes. The movements of the eye may be slightly jerky, but he
can definitely see something. Interestingly, the optimum
distance for this experiment is about eight or nine inches
away from his face, which is about the distance he is away
from his mother's eyes as she nurses him. The eyes are not
yet synchronized, which frequently gives concerned parents
the idea that the baby has a squint. A baby as young as five
days old might interrupt his nursing for a moment to follow a
shaft of light.
After the baby has seen a particular object several times, he
may not focus on it any more, and we might think he is tired,
or cannot focus at all times. Amazingly, if you show this two-
week-old an entirely different object, his attention will be
riveted again. He was just `bored' with the original one, or
to put it more professionally, he had become acclimatized; he
has lost interest. Furthermore, he has proven that he can
discrimate between the two objects.
Researchers used this information to find out whether,
already at the age of two weeks, babies showed preference to
any particular type of object. They discovered that contours,
i.e., the size of a particular shape, riveted their
attention. For instance, after focusing on a large black
square painted on a white background, the babies would keep
looking at the dividing line between the black and the white.
A chessboard was found to be particularly fascinating to
babies. So do we surround their cribs with chessboards?
Having discovered this ability, nobody has yet found out why
this is so, and the babies are not about to enlighten us. So
how can we make use of this information to aid the child's
development? Human faces have many contours. The hairline
above the forehead, the eyebrows and the lips give plenty of
scope to the babies' inherent preferences, and help them
perfect their lines of vision. In other words, just looking
at the faces of people around him will help a baby develop.
Much has been written about the developing eyesight, and
experiments which have been carried out.
Parents could try the following on a very tiny baby. Take
three similar objects: oval or roundish like the human face,
perhaps a paper plate. On one, draw a face in bold black felt
pen. Scribble indiscrimate lines on the second and color the
third one black all over. Arrange them in a row within the
baby's field of vision (after he has been fed and when he is
feeling content!) and in all probability, he will focus far
longer and more frequently on the human face! Don't write to
YATED if your baby did not pass the test!
Between four and eight weeks old, babies show marked
preference for stripes, for instance, concentric circles
getting increasingly narrower and smaller towards the center,
whereas monkeys and some types of bird recoil from these
shapes. One theory is that it is similar to human eyes. By
this time, the baby will be able to focus on the line between
the hair and the forehead, and begin to make eye contact with
his mother or other carer. This gives the carer the feeling
that he recognizes her and strengthens the emotional bond
between them.
Abut twenty years ago, some extensive research was carried
out on babies between the age of sixteen to thirty weeks.
They found that more complicated pictures were of more
interest to their `subjects.' For instance, a picture of
three squares was more interesting than one of two. Or three
different-colored circles drew their attention more than
three circles colored the same.
Babies cannot count, yet unfailingly, in experiments carried
out with different objectts, they were more interested in the
greater number of objects. When the outlines were too large,
or when there were too many small shapes or objects, the
babies lost interest and did not do more than glance at them.
Older children and even adults prefer to concentrate on up to
a maximum of five objects at a time.
At about four months, the baby's sight and cognition is so
well developed that when shown a whole series of pictures of
the human face, he will focus far longer on those which seem
`real,' on those which look more like people and less like
drawings.
We are all aware of the fact that everything we see
influences our lives. If a baby is exposed to undesirable
pictures and sights, claims Rav Wolbe, this will influence
the child adversely. He goes so far as to say that exposure
to pictures of non-kosher animals, even when speaking of tiny
babies, will also have a detrimental effect. Cuddly toys
should preferably be sheep or other kosher animals. Most
families do have a cherished teddy bear, yet perhaps we
should create a new trend?
Do babies see things in two dimensions or three? Various
sophisticated experiments have been carried out which show
that babies are born with spacial awareness. Their inability
to grasp toys at an early age is not because they cannot see
the object and the distance they would have to reach out, but
because they do not yet have the muscular ability. Moreover,
older babies will raise a hand to protect themselves from an
oncoming object which seems threatening, and little babies
will cry or show other signs of distress.
By measuring among other things the baby's heartbeat and how
vigorously he sucks his pacifier, researchers have obtained
fairly accurate information about the early development and
competence of a baby. While rejoicing in yet another miracle
of creation, we should also appreciate the knowledge and
ability Hashem has given scientists to carry out this
research!
