infant watches as a researcher covers a toy with a blanket. The infant reaches for the blanket and uncovers the toy.
An infant watches as a researcher covers a toy with a blanket several times. The infant successfully reaches for the toy every time. Next, the researcher places the toy under a different blanket, adjacent to the first hiding space. The infant reaches in the first place and is unsuccessful in finding the toy.
1 What do these tasks measure? What do the infants’ responses demonstrate?
2 What Piagetian substage do each of these infants show?
3 How might changes in information processing skills contribute to these developments?
4 Are infants’ responses to these tasks indicators of intelligence in infants? Why or why not?
Descriptions of Images and Figures
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A. Primary circular reaction: A baby brings hands together. The baby enjoys it was does it again.
B. Secondary circular reaction: A baby shakes rattle. The baby enjoys rattling sound and does it again.
C. Tertiary circular reaction: A baby hits a pot with a spoon and enjoys the sound. The baby repeats with other objects and enjoys sound.
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a. Experimental Condition.
Illustrations showing (1) habituation, (2) impossible test, and (3) possible test are shown.
1. Habituation: The illustration includes a horizontal line that has five dashed lines extending from its center point. One of the dashed lines is perpendicular to the horizontal line. Two dashed lines appear on either side of the perpendicular line. All lines are positioned at evenly spaced angles. A thick line is drawn along the horizontal line. It extends from the center point to the right. A half-circle arrow extends from the thick line and points to a spot on the original horizontal line to the left of the perpendicular line.
2. Impossible test: The image is the same as the image for habituation, but there is a thick perpendicular bar extending from where the half-circle arrow is pointing. The top right edge of the thick bar intersects with the dashed line closest to the perpendicular dashed line. The bar blocks the last dashed line on the left.
3. Possible test: This is similar to the impossible test image, but there are two changes. (a) There is only one dashed line to the left of the perpendicular dashed line. The top right of the thick bar intersects with the dashed line shown. (b) The arced circle points to the dashed line that intersects with the thick bar.
The line graph reports the locking time for these three scenarios. All values are approximations.
Habituation:
Trial minus 6: 59 seconds
Trial minus 5: 47 seconds
Trial minus 4: 45 seconds
Trial minus 3: 22 seconds
Trial minus 2: 18 seconds
Trial minus 1: 19 seconds
Impossible test:
Trial 1: 28 seconds
Trial 2: 22 seconds
Trial 3: 37 seconds
Trial 4: 40 seconds
Possible test:
Trial 1: 19 seconds
Trial 2: 20 seconds
Trial 3: 19 seconds
Trial 4: 18.5 seconds
a. Control Condition.
Illustrations showing (1) habituation, (2) full rotation test, and (3) partial rotation test are shown. The habituation image is the same as the image in the experimental condition. The full rotation test is the same as the impossible test in the experimental condition, with one exception: There is no thick bar shown. The partial rotation image is the same as the possible test image from the experimental condition, but again, no thick bar is shown.
The graph reports the locking time for these three scenarios. All values are approximations.
Habituation:
Trial minus 6: 35 seconds
Trial minus 5: 50 seconds
Trial minus 4: 40 seconds
Trial minus 3: 22 seconds
Trial minus 2: 22 seconds
Trial minus 1: 20 seconds
Full rotation test:
Trial 1: 20 seconds
Trial 2: 20 seconds
Trial 3: 19 seconds
Trial 4: 20 seconds
Partial rotation test:
Trial 1: 22 seconds
Trial 2: 16 seconds
Trial 3: 20 seconds
Trial 4: 15 seconds
Back to Figure
1. An infant is sitting between two blankets and watches someone place a ball under the blanket on his left.
2. The infant lifts the blanket on the left and finds the ball.
3. The infant sees someone place the ball under the blanket on the right. There is no ball under the blanket on the left.
4. The infant looks for the ball under the blanket on the left.
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Incoming information is first processed in sensory memory. It then moves to working memory. The central executive feeds into working memory, anda response stems from working memory. While in working memory, information may be encoded and then stored in long-term memory. When information is retrieved from long-term memory, it is processed in the working memory again.
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For each group, three percentages are provided, in this order: (1) percentage living in low-income homes, (2) percentage living in poor homes, and (3) percentage living in deep poverty.
White: 28, 12, 5
Black: 61, 64, 17
Hispanic: 59, 28, 11
Asian:
