Читать книгу Lifespan Development - Tara L. Kuther - Страница 222

Visiting the doctor’s office for the first time in her young life, Kerry followed the doctor’s finger with her eyes as he passed it over her face. “I think she sees it!” said her surprised mother. “She most certainly does,” said the doctor. “Even as a newborn, your Kerry can sense the world. She can see, hear, and smell better than you know.” Newborns can see, hear, smell, taste, and respond to touch, but it is unclear how infants perceive sensory stimuli. Developmental researchers draw a distinction between sensation and perception. Sensation occurs when our senses detect a stimulus. Perception refers to the sense our brain makes of the stimulus and our awareness of it. The newborn is equipped with a full range of senses, ready to experience the world.