Early conceptions of Physics

Question 1

Piaget argued that our conceptual understandings of physics develop _______ rather than _______.

Answer 1

Develops later rather than early

Question 2

Spelke and Baillargeon argued that infants can possess core knowledge of physical concepts such as what 4 things. These cannot be observed through ______ tasks but rather through examining the infants _______

Answer 2

solidity
cohesion
contact
continuity
cannot be observed in physical tasks but via looking tasks

Question 3

Spelke and Baillargeon argued that development is a process of __________ our basic core concepts, and gaining __________ concepts.

Answer 3

process of refining core concepts as well as gaining additional concepts

Question 4

What is Karmiloff-smith’s theory of development?

Answer 4

Genes specify initial pre-dispositions/constraints
children have inbuilt knowledge system - non chaotic
at first implicit, but must develop to explicit

Question 5

Evidence from Piagetian tasks such as ________ ________ and the __ not __ error suggests that physical conceptions develop around __ months.

Answer 5

object permanence tasks
A not B error
physical conceptions develop around 9 months

Question 6

What is the key issue with using Piagetian tasks to test for mental capacities?

Answer 6

tasks confounded by necessarily physical ability - reaching/grabbing
failure may not be due to lack of mental ability but physical or otherc constraint

Question 7

Eye tracking tasks such as the ________ of ________ task shows that object ________ , concepts of _________may develop earlier, around __ months.

Answer 7

violation of expectancy task suggests object permanence and concepts of solidity may develop before 5 months

Question 8

Longer looking times in violation of expectancy tasks may be explained by what 2 explanations?

Answer 8

perceptual persistence - random
preference for motion

Question 9

Baillargeon et al (1987) showed that as well as object permanence and object solidity, violation of expectancy tasks may reveal an understanding of what else?

Answer 9

an understanding of the properties of hidden objects - i.e. hard, squishy

Question 10

Spelke et al suggested that longer looking at a ball going through a supposed shelf is evidrnce of knowledge of the ________ principle

Answer 10

shows solidity principle

Question 11

Hood et al shoed that at 2 years children show knowledge of principles but are unable to use it to _______ _ _______. __ months later however, they are able to use their knowledge to guide ______.

Answer 11

2 years - children have knowledge but cannot guide action
2.5 years are able to use knowledge to guide action

Question 12

What are 4 explanations for why children may have knowledge but still make search errors?

Answer 12

limited problem solving
frontal cortex immaturity - lacking inhibition
weaker mental representations
early representations more implicit

Question 13

What name does Karmiloff smith give to the process of turning implicit representations into explicit ones?

Answer 13

Representational re-description

Question 14

Childrens development of gravity concept doesnt occur all at once. describe what infants know at age:

3 months
4.5-5.5 months
6.5 months
12.5 months

This process highlights the ____________ of core knowledge.

Answer 14

3 months - can distinguish contact vs no contact -are objects touching
4-5 months - can distinguish types of contact - which ones allow support of object
6.5 months -can know what amount of contact allows support
12.5 months - understanding of proportional distribution
Shows the elaboration of core knowledge

Question 15

The gravity error (Hood 1995) is a tendency to infer that the _________ of __________objects will always go _______ ________. This an example of children making ______ ___________ rules.

Answer 15

error in thinking that trajectory of objects will always go straight down
shows how children make naive universal rules

Question 16

Children will make the gravity error when the object is

A Going down
B Invisible
C Being sucked upwards
D Both A and B

Answer 16

D both A and B

Question 17

In the centre balance task children will perform ____ at 4-5 years, showing they have no ______ ______.
At age 6-7 children stick to their ____ ______, and remain ____, failing the task
At age 8-9 children will have a _____, but be able to _____ and switch their _______ given new evidence

Answer 17

4-5 children have no naive theory so will perform fairly well
6-7 children will stick to naive theory, remain rigid, failing the task
8-9 children will have a theory but are able to adapt and switch strategy given new evidence

Question 18

Hunnius and Bakkering showed using the _________ ________ paradigm that even at __ months children can show knowledge of _____ use, despite never having used the ______ them selves

Answer 18

anticipatory looking paradigm shows that even at 6 months children have knowledge of object use simply from observations
don’t have to use objects themselves

Question 19

Hunnius and Bakkering showed that infants knew object use for which object (s).
A A cup
B A Brush
C A Phone
D Both A and C

Answer 19

D Both A and C