Infant Vision: Reconfiguring Perception in Mixed Reality 25

Human visual perception in infancy is both mysterious and profoundly significant. In earlier traditions of art and philosophy, infant vision was often imagined as an innocent eye, as if it were closer to pure, untrained sensory input. However, contemporary vision science suggests that infants exhibit certain perceptual biases from birth, and that their developing visual abilities may not be a deficit but rather a key strategy that supports early cognitive development. Building on this perspective, we want to know what kinds of feelings and behavioral changes might emerge if people return to infant-like viewing conditions. Using a mixed reality head-mounted display (MR-HMD) as a medium for perceptual extension, we construct an infant-like first-person viewing experience. We explore Infant Vision as a tool for perceptual reconfiguration, considering how it may evoke a sense of embodiment and shape participants’ behaviors.