Chapter 5: Seeing, Thinking, and Doing in Infancy

Question 1

affordances

Answer 1

the possibilities for action offered by objects and situations

Question 2

auditory localization

Answer 2

perception of the location in space of a sound source

Question 3

binocular disparity

Answer 3

the difference between the retinal image of an object in each eye that results in two slightly different signals being sent to the brain

Question 4

classical conditioning

Answer 4

a form of learning that consists of associating an initially neutral stimulus with a stimulus that always evokes a particular reflexive response

Question 5

conditioned response (CR)

Answer 5

in classical conditioning, the originally reflexive response that comes to be elicited by the conditioned stimulus

Question 6

conditioned stimulus (CS)

Answer 6

in classical conditioning, the neutral stimulus that is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus

Question 7

cones

Answer 7

the light-sensitive neurons that are highly concentrated in the fovea (the central region of the retina)

Question 8

contrast sensitivity

Answer 8

the ability to detect difference in light and dark areas in a visual pattern

Question 9

differentiation

Answer 9

the extraction from the constantly changing stimulation in the environment of those elements that are invariant, or stable

Question 10

instrumental (or operant) conditioning

Answer 10

learning the relation between one’s own behavior and the consequences that result from it

Question 11

intermodal perception

Answer 11

the combining of information from two or more sensory systems

Question 12

monocular depth (or pictorial) cues

Answer 12

the perceptual cues of depth (such as relative size and interposition) that can be perceived by one eye alone

Question 13

object segregation

Answer 13

the identification of separate objects in a visual array

Question 14

optical expansion

Answer 14

a depth cue in which an object occludes increasingly more of the background, indicating that the object is approaching

Question 15

perception

Answer 15

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information

Question 16

perceptual constancy

Answer 16

the perception of objects as being of constant size, shape, color, etc., in spite of physical differences in the retinal image of the object

Question 17

positive reinforcement

Answer 17

a reward that reliably follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated

Question 18

preferential-looking technique

Answer 18

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

Question 19

prereaching movements

Answer 19

clumsy swiping movements by young infants toward the general vicinity of objects they see

Question 20

rational learning

Answer 20

the ability to use prior experiences to predict what will occur in the future

Question 21

reflexes

Answer 21

innate, fixed patterns of action that occur in response to particular stiumlation

Question 22

scale error

Answer 22

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

Question 23

self-locomotion

Answer 23

the ability to move oneself around in the environment

Question 24

sensation

Answer 24

the processing of basic information from the external world by the sensory receptors in the sense organs (eyes, ears, skin, etc.) and brain

Question 25

stepping reflex

Answer 25

a neonatal reflex in which an infant lifts first one leg and then the other in a coordinated pattern like walking

Question 26

stereopsis

Answer 26

the process by which the visual cortex combines the differing neural signals caused by binocular disparity, resulting in the perception of depth

Question 27

unconditioned response (UCR)

Answer 27

in classical conditioning, a reflexive response that is elicited by the unconditioned stimulus

Question 28

unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

Answer 28

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that evokes a reflexive response

Question 29

violation-of-expectancy

Answer 29

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

Question 30

visual acuity

Answer 30

the sharpness of visual discrimination