General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

opticokinetic drum

Patents

N/A

General Description

pressed cardboard, painted; metal; wood

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

29.5 cm

Width

16.5 cm

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Medical Technology

Category

Instruments

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Netherlands

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Possibly used c. 1930- 1970 by donor's aunt, Dr. .Maria Van Dijk (Katan)

Canada

Unknown

Function

Used to test visual acuity in infants.

Technical

Eyes tend to follow or track the motion of one element at a time in a steadily moving display. As the tracked element moves out of sight, the eyes will "snap back" to fixate and follow another one. This subcortically-mediated function is termed optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) and is present at about five days after birth. This response, thought to be controlled by the tectopulvinar system, can be used as an objective measure of an infant's ability to see detail in a moving stimulus, such as a bar grating. The absence of an OKN suggests that the infant doesn't perceive the bars in the grating as separate elements. By varying the characteristics of the display such as its contrast or fineness of a grating, the researcher can measure an infant's spatial vision (e.g. acuity or contrast sensitivity). (Ref. 4)

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

None, save UHN catalogue number "981.31.3" printed by hand in white ink on metal frame

Missing

Paint is chipped, with some areas of loss on drum edges.

Finish

Pressed cardboard drum bears painted black and white stripes; mounted on metal frame; both metal hand crank and frame fitted with turned wood handles.

Decoration

N/A