Perception And Cognition In Infants

Question 1

Motor development in 1st year

Answer 1

1-3mnth
Gross- stepping reflex, lifts head, sits with support
Fine- grasp object placed in hands, sucks, control of eye movement, smile

2-4mnth
Gross- lifts head, uses arms for support
Fine- grasps cube when placed near hand

5-8mnth
Gross- sits without support
Fine- reaches, grasps object, using one hand

5-10mth
Gross- stands without support, pulls self
Fine- points at interests, pincer grip

5-11mnth
Gross- crawls
Fine- grasps spoon, direct food to mouth

10-14mnth
Gross- stands alone, walks alone
Fine- holds crayon with fingers

Question 2

Motor development and memory

HIBERT, GROSS & HAYNE (2007)

Answer 2

9mnth infant memory task

Half able to crawl, half not

Shown how to play with novel toy, specific novel action associated with it

Both crawling and non crawling could remember target action

Only crawling infants retrieved memory in new context

Onset of crawling= greater memory flexibility

Question 3

From crawling to walking

ADOLPH & TAMIS-LEMONDA (2014)

Answer 3

Give up being expert crawlers in favour of being poor walkers

Requires muscle development, limb coordination, balance control

Question 4

From crawling to walking

ADOLPH (1997)

Answer 4

Skilled crawling better means of getting about then novice walking

Crawlers better able to judge steepness of slops, or depth of drop

Walking= increase in falls- 32per hour vs 17

Covers space more quickly- 3x more distance

Question 5

From crawling to walking

KRETCH, FRANCHAK & ADOLPH (2014)

Answer 5

Head tracking of what child can see whilst crawling and walking

crawling can see ground beneath, walkers can see parents and researcher

Allows better interaction and visual input

Question 6

Perception vs cognition

Answer 6

Perception- how we see, or hear, or directly experience the world

Cognition- how we form, use and act upon internal thoughts/states

Question 7

Object permanence

Answer 7

Biking to internally represent world

9mnth- search for objects out of view, act on basis of thought rather than perception

A not B task:

• showing child toy, put in one of two boxes
• show child toy again, put in other box
• 9mnth persist with same physical action of reaching for first location
• 12mnth infants correctly reach new location

Question 8

Violation of expectation tasks

Answer 8

Baillargeon (1986):

• studying object permanence 6-8mnth
• truck going down ramp, screen going up
• possible event- screen drop, object behind screen, truck goes down ramp
• impossible event- object blocks path, truck goes down ramp
• both ages look longer at impossible event
• seem to know the block continues to exist

Question 9

Counting in infants

WYNN (1992)

Answer 9

4-5mnth

• possible event- one object be removed behind screen, screen dropped, 1 object remained
• impossible event- one object be removed, screen dropped, 2 events remained
• look longer at impossible event
• expectation sensitive to number

Question 10

Approximate number system

Answer 10

Infants possess a system for estimating large quantities

Primitive mental system of non-verbal representation of number