Perceptual Development

Question 1

What is the cognitive information processing model?

Answer 1

It suggests that information follows a pattern - first you pay attention to something, then we make sense of it, then it goes into memory, then we access it when it is needed again.

Question 2

Why is perception important?

Answer 2

So we know how to behave appropriately.

Question 3

Is perception nature or nurture?

Answer 3

• Is a belief we are born with innate skills and they develop over time
• But we must also acknowledge that environment around us can affect how we develop (Blakemore and Cooper)

Question 4

What are two examples of cultural differences in perception?

Answer 4

If you live in a jungle with few open spaces, the ability to judge distance may be limited, whereas if you live in the countryside with a lot of open space you will be able to judge distance more accurately.

Question 5

What did Turnbull study?

Answer 5

Turnbull studied BaMbuti pygmies.

Question 6

What did Turnbull find about one of the pygmies, Kenge?

Answer 6

He found that Kenge had never left the forest, therefore he had no depth perception - he thought buffalo were insects as they looked small from far away, and that insects transformed into Buffalo as he got closer as they increased in size.

Question 7

What do babies show a preference for and what does this mean about their perception?

Answer 7

They show a preference for certain patterns, which means they have the ability to perceive patterns as different to each other.

Question 8

What did previous research find about babies and patterns?

Answer 8

That babies prefer complex patterns as opposed to simple ones, and that new born babies prefer patterns that resemble a human face.

Question 9

What does the fact that babies prefer patterns which resemble a human face suggest?

Answer 9

That babies can differentiate patterns and have an innate ability to recognise faces.

Question 10

What innate skill do babies have within hours of being born?

Answer 10

They appear to have the skill to perceive human faces and even discriminate between their mother’s face and and that of another female.

Question 11

What can children differentiate between at 5 months old and what can they recognise at 9 months old?

Answer 11

At 5 months, can differentiate between smiles of different intensities.
At 9 months, can recognise a female face from a male one.

Question 12

What is meant by depth perception?

Answer 12

The ability to tell that some things are further away than others.

Question 13

Define the height in plane visual cue.

Answer 13

An object further away will show higher in an image.

Question 14

Define the relative size visual cue.

Answer 14

The smaller the object appears, the further away it is.

Question 15

Define the superimposition visual cue.

Answer 15

One object is in front of another shows the front object is nearer.

Question 16

Define the texture gradient visual cue.

Answer 16

The texture of an object gets more detailed as it becomes closer.

Question 17

Define the linear perspective visual cue.

Answer 17

If something goes into the distance, the lines of the edge appear to get closer together.

Question 18

What did Fantz research and how?

Answer 18

• Researched perceptual development in children
• Place babies in front of two stimuli and timed how long they would look at them
• Longer they spent looking, more they preferred it

Question 19

How can behaviourism be used to measure perception?

Answer 19

• Operant conditioning - baby given a dummy and the amount they suck on it indicates interest
• When they suck faster they are rewarded with picture of mothers face
• Baby then loses interest and sucking rate goes back to normal
• Baby then sucks faster to see something new

Question 20

What has research shown to do with heart rate and interest?

Answer 20

A fast heart rate can indicate excitement.

Question 21

What experiments did researchers conduct on chicks to research perceptual development?

Answer 21

• Kept chicks in black sack from hatch

- When released several days later they could run to mother, avoiding obstacles

Question 22

What do the results of the chick experiments say about their perceptual development?

Answer 22

That they have an innate ability to identify where objects are and avoid them.

Question 23

What experiments did researchers conduct on rats to research perceptual development?

Answer 23

• Kept in dark for 3 months

- When tested they used more effort to jump larger gaps than smaller gaps

Question 24

What do the results of the rat experiments say about their perceptual development?

Answer 24

They have an innate ability to judge distance.

Question 25

What experiments did researchers conduct on kittens to research perceptual development?

Answer 25

-Blakemore and Cooper - horizontal and vertical lines 5 hours a day

Question 26

What do the results of the kitten experiments say about their perceptual development?

Answer 26

Their perception was effected by the environment they were exposed to.

Question 27

What experiments did researchers conduct on chimps to research perceptual development?

Question 28

What were the results of the experiments on chimps?

Answer 28

• Chimp kept in dark suffered retinal damage

- Chimp half way in between suffered no retinal damage but percepyion was underdeveloped

Question 29

What experiments did researchers conduct on salamanders to research perceptual development?

Answer 29

• Surgically turned eyes upside down to see if they would adapt
• Found they acted as though world was upside down and could not adjust

Question 30

What was the main aim of Gibson and Walk’s study?

Answer 30

To see if young animals and human children were able to perceive depth innately and therefore know not to crawl or walk over a visual cliff edge.

Question 31

What was the sample used in Gibson and Walk’s study?

Answer 31

36 children aged 6 to 14 months

Question 32

Describe the visual cliff.

Answer 32

Glass pane placed over surface that dropped halfway across, producing visual cliff.

Question 33

Outline the method used in Gibson and Walk’s study.

Answer 33

• Each child placed individually on board in centre of box so child can crawl off on to deep or shallow side of cliff
• Mother stood at shallow end (Postition A) or deep end (Position B) of the box and called child to come to her

Question 34

How many of the children moved off the board?

Answer 34

27 of the 36 children moved off the board.

Question 35

What percentage of the children moved across shallow side of cliff to mother?

Answer 35

100%

Question 36

What percentage of the children moved across the deep side of the cliff to get to their mother?

Answer 36

11%

Question 37

What would the children do when looking at deep side?

Answer 37

Children would peep through glass at cliff edge and back away

Question 38

What are other qualitative results?

Answer 38

• Some children tested glass for solidity

- When mother on deep side, most common reaction was to crawl away from mother or sit and cry

Question 39

What are the main conclusions of Gibson and Walk’s study on children?

Answer 39

That children can perceive depth by the time they can crawl, but they appeared not to be aware of the danger of the cliff edge

Question 40

What were chicks reaction to the visual cliff?

Answer 40

Would never cross deep side.

Question 41

What were goat kids and lambs reactions to the visual cliff?

Answer 41

• Soon as they can stand, would not step on deep side

- If placed of deep side, would refuse to put feet down and would makes legs go limp if forced to

Question 42

What were rats reactions to the visual cliff?

Answer 42

Would rely on whiskers to touch and perceive their environment and would therefore happily cross deep side.

Question 43

What did turtles do when faced with the visual cliff?

Answer 43

No preference to deep or shall side which suggests there’s less need for depth perception in water.

Question 44

How can sound bingo help develop perception in young children?

Answer 44

• Child has card with pictures of animals on and animals noises are played in random order
• Child covers picture if they think they hear animals noise
• Helps children perceive different animals

Question 45

How can the ‘what’s in the bag’ game help develop perception in young children?

Answer 45

• Object hidden and child identifies through touch only

- Helps child perceive shapes through touch

Question 46

How can shape sorters help develop perception in young children?

Answer 46

Helps child recognise objects or letters and their size and shape.

Question 47

How can a baby help develop perception in young children?

Answer 47

• Allows for motor skills of reaching and grasping to be improved
• Allows cognitive skills such as cause and effect, memory, development of concept of self and visual skills to be improved