How Children and Adults Perceive Speed in Visual Motion: Implications for Road Safety

In this study, researchers wanted to understand how people of different ages perceive the speed of moving objects in their environment. They tested prelocomotor infants (4-5 months), crawling infants (9-11 months), primary school children (6 years), adolescents (12 years), and young adults. To study this, the researchers used a simulated environment that resembled a road, with moving poles at the sides. Participants were shown this visual motion pattern at different speeds. The results showed that as participants grew older, their ability to perceive the speed of the moving objects improved. Infants at 4-5 months had the longest response time and couldn't differentiate between different speeds. However, crawling infants at 9-11 months and 6-year-old children could distinguish between low, medium, and high speeds, responding fastest to the low speed. Adolescents and adults had similar response times for all three speeds, indicating that they perceived them equally easily. Analyzing brain activity, the researchers found that as participants grew older, their brain activity changed. They showed a progression from low-frequency to high-frequency brain activity in response to the visual motion. These findings suggest that the ability to perceive speed in visual motion continues to develop until adolescence. This has important implications for children's road safety, as they may have difficulty accurately judging the speed of moving vehicles. It highlights the need for education and training to improve children's perception of motion speed to ensure their safety in traffic environments.

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