Preferential looking at temporal frequencies by preterm infants.

Preferential looking to stimuli varying in temporal frequency was examined in 11 prematurely born infants (X postconceptional age at testing = 37.6 weeks). The relationship between amount of looking and stimulus frequency yielded a significant linear trend, with the fastest frequency used (4 hertz) being most preferred. The results were interpreted as indicating that the mechanisms underlying temporal preferences differ from those underlying spatial preferences.