Development of Feature Binding in Children: A Critical Review

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18195549

Urvashi Chittodiya¹ and Snehlata Jaswal2 (Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh¹ and Department of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, Sikkim University, Sikkim²)

The integrated representation of different properties of a stimulus is feature binding. The process of binding provides mental representations, which are required for all higher cognitive processes. Several researchers have identified various factors affecting feature binding. In recent years, researchers have also studied the development of the ability for binding features. This review surveys the theories and experiments regarding the developmental trajectory of feature binding. Models such as those conceptualizing fixed number of slots in working memory, those emphasizing precision due to the processing demand, and those stressing the dynamic nature of cognition over the period of development, are considered. Studies of infants and children are critically analysed, with the conclusion that the classic constructivist approaches, such as those of Piaget and Bruner, must be invoked to understand the developmental stages in forming mental representations through feature binding.