Changes in visual and manipulative responses to repeated presentations of a stimulus object were studied in 6‐ and 12‐month‐old infants. It was found that the two groups resembled one another with regard to the perceptual measures, indicating that the younger group was as competent as the older in differentiating on the basis of familiarity. Manipulative latency, on the other hand, yielded a different picture, for whereas the older infants behaved differentially in this respect too in relation to the familiarity dimension, the younger infants showed immediate approach responses indiscriminately throughout the series of trials. A period of development extending into the second half‐year is thus indicated when approach–avoidance behaviour is as yet not guided by the ability perceptually to discriminate strange and familiar stimuli.
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Schaffer et al. (1969) studied this question.