Development and segmentation of visually controlled movement by selective exposure during rearing.

Three experiments are reported which clarify the role of movement-produced changes in visual stimulation for the acquisition of visually controlled behaviors. The first study shows that exposure during passive transport, which provides an asystematic relation between self-produced movements and visual stimulation, delays the acquisition of visual-motor coordination when a kitten is subsequently free to locomote in light. The second experiment demonstrates that control of movement by one eye develops if that eye is exposed during locomotion. This control does not transfer to the contralateral eye which is exposed only during passive transport. In the final experiment, view of the forelimbs is restricted to one eye. Visually guided reaching develops under the control of that eye but does not transfer to the eye which has not viewed the limbs. The results of Experiments 2 and 3 provide evidence that the system for visual guidance of movement consists of components which can be acquired independently.