Ch. 5 Perception, Action, and Learning in Infancy Flashcards
- A researcher presents an infant with two objects. To determine whether the infant is able to discriminate between the objects and favors one over the other, the researcher measures the amount of time the infant spends looking at each object. Which experimental technique is this researcher using?
a. Contrast sensitivity technique
b. Visual acuity method
c. Preferential-looking technique
d. Active learning method
c. Preferential-looking technique
- The understanding that two objects are separate, even when they are touching, is referred to as
a. object segregation.
b. object permanence.
c. perceptual narrowing.
d. perceptual constancy.
a. object segregation.
- One-month-old Bella is shown a small cube that is close to her. Next, she is shown a larger cube that is farther away from her. Because the two cubes are at different distances from Bella, they appear to be the same size. Bella’s actions indicate that she recognizes that the second cube is larger, signifying that she has
a. perceptual constancy.
b. intermodal perception.
c. perceptual narrowing.
d. optical expansion.
a. perceptual constancy.
- An infant’s ability to follow the path of a moving object is a demonstration of
a. visual acuity.
b. object segregation.
c. smooth pursuit eye movement.
d. binocular disparity.
c. smooth pursuit eye movement.
- Which of the following is a possible explanation for why young infants tend to have more trouble with auditory localization than older infants and children do?
a. Young infants are not adept at perceiving patterns, particularly sound patterns.
b. Young infants do not yet understand that sound can come from a variety of sources.
c. Children’s ears do not fully develop until they are close to 1 year old.
d. Young infants have smaller heads, which makes it more difficult for them to perceive whether a sound is closer to one ear or the other.
d. Young infants have smaller heads, which makes it more difficult for them to perceive whether a sound is closer to one ear or the other.
- The tendency of an infant to look longer at a smiling face that is paired with a happy voice is an indication of that infant’s
a. dishabituation.
b. classical conditioning.
c. intermodal perception.
d. optical expansion.
c. intermodal perception.
- Five-week-old Jamal is touched on the cheek and promptly turns his head to the side that was touched. Jamal is displaying
a. intermodal perception.
b. contrast sensitivity.
c. the rooting reflex.
d. the tonic neck reflex.
c. the rooting reflex.
- Priya is a 2-month-old infant. She wants to get her hands on the rattle that is lying next to her; however, all she can do is make very clumsy swiping movements in the general vicinity of the toy. Priya’s movements are known as
a. self-locomotion.
b. rooting reflex.
c. optical expansion.
d. pre-reaching motions.
b. rooting reflex.
- Seven-month-old Trevor has learned that small round objects can be rolled across a flat surface. Trevor’s discovery is an example of which developmental learning process?
a. Affordances
b. Continuity
c. Differentiation
d. Unconditioned stimulus
a. Affordances
- Five-month-old Kenji is lying in his crib. His mother hides out of view, then pops out above him and yells, “Boo!” Kenji squeals with delight, but after his mother repeats her actions a few times, his excitement dissipates and his attention wanders to the mobile hanging overhead. Kenji’s response is an example of
a. instrumental conditioning.
b. differentiation.
c. habituation.
d. observational learning.
c. habituation.
- The violation-of-expectancy procedure provides evidence of what basic assumption about infants’ understanding of their world?
a. Infants will repeat actions if they receive positive reinforcement from those actions.
b. Infants’ imitative actions are limited to the actions of other humans.
c. Infants will look longer at a seemingly impossible event than at a possible event.
d. Infants’ attention will diminish after repeated exposure to the same stimuli.
c. Infants will look longer at a seemingly impossible event than at a possible event.
- Two-year-old Jayden attempts to put her foot inside of a toy car that is clearly too small for her. She is making which type of error?
a. Violation-of-expectation error
b. Scale error
c. Grasp error
d. Intermodal error
b. Scale error
- Researchers design an experiment in which 8- to 10-month-old infants are placed in a high chair with a string attached to one of their arms. When they lift their arms, the string tips a small cup that spills cereal onto the table in front of them. A few weeks later, these same infants are placed in a different chair but outfitted with a similar string and cup mechanism. The fact that these infants will remember that lifting their arms will result in cereal being dispensed is an example of
a. instrumental conditioning.
b. social referencing.
c. object permanence.
d. intermodal perception.
a. instrumental conditioning.
- How does the element of surprise aid in the process of active learning in infants?
a. Surprise instills fear, which prompts the child to seek out less risky situations.
b. Infants are more likely to search for explanations to unexpected events.
c. Parents can explain unexpected events to their children, thus helping them learn.
d. Infants are more likely to seek out situations that conform to their understanding.
b. Infants are more likely to search for explanations to unexpected events.
- Which of the following is an example of perceptual narrowing?
a. Compared to older children and adults, infants are better able to distinguish between different individual monkeys.
b. Infants display a preference for top-heavy, upright faces.
c. Older infants will more likely attempt to grasp an object in a realistic photograph than the same object displayed in a line drawing.
d. As infants gain more experience, they become more adept at devising strategies for crawling down a steep slope.
a. Compared to older children and adults, infants are better able to distinguish between different individual monkeys.
