Which testing method is objective and relies on electrophysiological responses rather than infant behavior?

• A. Pattern VEP
• B. Forced Choice Preferential Looking
• C. Teller Acuity Cards
• D. Cardiff Cards

Answer: (A)

This item examines an objective, physiology-based way to assess vision that doesn’t depend on how the infant behaves. Pattern VEP uses electrodes to record brain activity in the visual cortex in response to a patterned stimulus, like alternating black-and-white gratings. When the pattern is detected by the visual system, the EEG shows a reliable, time-locked response (often a characteristic waveform such as the P100). By presenting patterns of different spatial frequencies, you can determine the finest pattern that evokes a response, giving an acuity estimate without requiring the infant to look toward or indicate a target.

Forced Choice Preferential Looking and the Teller and Cardiff Cards rely on the infant’s or observer’s interpretation of gaze or looking behavior, which makes them behavioral rather than electrophysiological.