Chapter 5: Seeing, Thinking, and Doing in Infancy Flashcards
affordances
the possibilities for action offered by objects and situations
auditory localization
perception of the location in space of a sound source
binocular disparity
the difference between the retinal image of an object in each eye that results in two slightly different signals being sent to the brain
classical conditioning
a form of learning that consists of associating an initially neutral stimulus with a stimulus that always evokes a particular reflexive response
conditioned response (CR)
in classical conditioning, the originally reflexive response that comes to be elicited by the conditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus (CS)
in classical conditioning, the neutral stimulus that is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus
cones
the light-sensitive neurons that are highly concentrated in the fovea (the central region of the retina)
contrast sensitivity
the ability to detect difference in light and dark areas in a visual pattern
differentiation
the extraction from the constantly changing stimulation in the environment of those elements that are invariant, or stable
instrumental (or operant) conditioning
learning the relation between one’s own behavior and the consequences that result from it
intermodal perception
the combining of information from two or more sensory systems
monocular depth (or pictorial) cues
the perceptual cues of depth (such as relative size and interposition) that can be perceived by one eye alone
object segregation
the identification of separate objects in a visual array
optical expansion
a depth cue in which an object occludes increasingly more of the background, indicating that the object is approaching
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information
perceptual constancy
the perception of objects as being of constant size, shape, color, etc., in spite of physical differences in the retinal image of the object
positive reinforcement
a reward that reliably follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated
preferential-looking technique
a method for studying visual attention in infants that involves showing infants two patterns or two objects a time to see if the infants have a preference for one over the other
prereaching movements
clumsy swiping movements by young infants toward the general vicinity of objects they see
rational learning
the ability to use prior experiences to predict what will occur in the future
reflexes
innate, fixed patterns of action that occur in response to particular stiumlation
scale error
the attempt by a young child to perform an action on a miniature object that is impossible due to the large discrepancy in the relative sizes of the child and the object
self-locomotion
the ability to move oneself around in the environment
sensation
the processing of basic information from the external world by the sensory receptors in the sense organs (eyes, ears, skin, etc.) and brain
stepping reflex
a neonatal reflex in which an infant lifts first one leg and then the other in a coordinated pattern like walking
stereopsis
the process by which the visual cortex combines the differing neural signals caused by binocular disparity, resulting in the perception of depth
unconditioned response (UCR)
in classical conditioning, a reflexive response that is elicited by the unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
in classical conditioning, a stimulus that evokes a reflexive response
violation-of-expectancy
a procedure used ti study infant cognition in which infants are shown an event that should evoke surprise or interest if it violates something the infant knows or assumes to be true
visual acuity
the sharpness of visual discrimination
