W04 Perceptual Development

Here are 30 multiple-choice questions based on the provided lecture notes on "Perceptual Development", including the 3 example questions.

1. By showing them two paddles simultaneously (one with black and white stripes of differing width, and the other a gray paddle) and checking which one the infant stares at for longer, which visual skill of infants can be measured?

• Visual acuity

• Gaze following

• Depth perception

• Stereopsis

2. Which of the below is an example of object segregation?

• Perceiving objects as being of constant size, shape and colour in spite of physical differences in the retinal image of the object

• Perceiving the coffee table and the vase on top of it as two independent objects

• Understanding that if an object occludes increasingly more of the background, the object is approaching

• Integrating the separate elements of a visual display into a coherent pattern even when there are no physical edges or shapes

3. Which of the below is NOT correct about infants' sense of taste and smell?

• Infants are sensitive to taste and smell before birth

• Newborn infants prefer the smell of their own amniotic fluid relative to another baby's

• Newborn babies respond similarly to their own mother's scent and a different female's scent

• Newborn babies can move towards their mother's odour if they were outfitted with a device that helps them move

4. Which term describes the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information about objects, events, and spatial layout?

• Sensation

• Perception

• Habituation

• Acuity

5. A researcher repeatedly shows an infant a picture of a cat until the infant looks away and loses interest. The researcher then shows a picture of a dog, and the infant's looking time increases. What is this research technique called?

• Preferential-looking

• Habituation

• Operant conditioning

• Stereopsis

6. Why do very young infants (up to 2 months) prefer to look at patterns of high visual contrast, such as a black and white checkerboard?

• They have a developed preference for artistic complexity

• Their binocular disparity is fully developed

• They have poor contrast sensitivity due to immature cone cells

• They can only see the colour red

7. According to Maurer & Salapatek (1976), how does visual scanning behavior differ between a 1-month-old and a 2-month-old when viewing a shape?

• 1-month-olds scan the interior; 2-month-olds scan the perimeter

• Both age groups focus solely on the eyes

• 1-month-olds scan the perimeter; 2-month-olds scan both the perimeter and the interior

• 1-month-olds cannot scan at all; 2-month-olds scan the perimeter

8. Which of the following best explains why newborns show a preference for face-like stimuli?

• They have an innate knowledge of what a human face looks like

• They have a general bias toward configurations with more elements in the upper half

• They are imprinted on their mother’s face immediately at birth

• They prefer low-contrast patterns found in faces

9. Research on "perceptual narrowing" suggests that while 6-month-olds can distinguish between different monkey faces, 9-month-olds cannot. What does this indicate?

• Visual acuity degrades between 6 and 9 months

• 9-month-olds lose interest in animals

• Face processing becomes specialized for the species seen most often (humans)

• 9-month-olds have developed prosopagnosia

10. In the study by Pons et al. (2015) regarding "talking faces," where did 8-month-old bilingual infants primarily fixate when listening to both native and non-native languages?

• Primarily on the eyes

• Primarily on the mouth

• On the mouth only for the non-native language

• On the hairline

11. When presented with a visual display suggesting a "subjective contour" (an illusory square that does not actually exist), at what age do infants perceive the overall pattern and detect the square?

• 1 month

• 2 months

• 7 months

• 12 months

12. How was size constancy demonstrated in newborns in the study by Slater et al. (1990)?

• Newborns looked longer at a larger cube placed further away, indicating they perceived it as a different size despite having the same retinal image size as a closer, smaller cube.

• Newborns reached for the larger object consistently.

• Newborns could not distinguish between two cubes of different sizes.

• Newborns preferred the smaller cube regardless of distance.

13. In Kellman and Spelke's (1983) experiment with a rod moving behind a block, what factor was crucial for 4-month-old infants to perceive the two rod segments as a single continuous object?

• Color

• Texture

• Movement

• Binocular disparity

14. What behavior indicates that infants as young as 1 month perceive depth via optical expansion?

• They reach for the object.

• They blink defensively at an object appearing to head towards them.

• They turn their head away.

• They cry immediately.

15. Stereopsis, the process by which the visual cortex combines differing neural signals from the two eyes, emerges suddenly around which age?

• 1 month

• 2 months

• 4 months

• 8 months

16. In a study using a trapezoidal window, a 7-month-old infant wearing an eye patch reached for the longer side of the window. What does this indicate?

• The infant has poor depth perception.

• The infant relies on binocular disparity.

• The infant uses monocular depth cues like relative size.

• The infant is confused by the window shape.

17. Research by DeLoache et al. (1998) on pictorial representations found that until about 19 months of age, infants:

• Cannot recognize pictures at all.

• Attempt to treat pictures as though they were real objects.

• Prefer black and white pictures only.

• Understand that pictures are symbols.

18. The study by Eimas (1985) using the sucking rate procedure demonstrated that 2-month-old infants could:

• Sing a melody.

• Discriminate between phonemes like /pa/ and /ba/.

• Understand the meaning of words.

• Localize sound in space.

19. Which of the following is true regarding infants' perception of music?

• Infants prefer dissonant music over consonant music.

• Infants do not respond to rhythm until 12 months.

• Infants prefer infant-directed songs over adult-directed songs.

• Infants cannot detect changes in melody.

20. A study by Zhao & Kuhl (2016) assigned 9-month-olds to a musical intervention group. What was the outcome?

• The infants became professional musicians.

• There was no difference between the intervention and control groups.

• Infants in the music group were better at processing patterns in both music and speech.

• Infants in the music group lost the ability to distinguish speech sounds.

21. Which statement best reflects the plasticity of the auditory brain in relation to music?

• Musical ability is entirely genetic and cannot be changed.

• Adult musicians' brains are shaped by the instruments they play.

• Non-musicians process pitch better than musicians.

• Auditory processing is fully mature at birth.

22. What characterizes the development of visual acuity in infants?

• It is fully developed at birth (20/20 vision).

• It reaches adult levels around 6 years of age.

• It declines after 8 months.

• It is tested using operant conditioning with food rewards.

23. In the domain of intermodal perception, what did Streri and Spelke (1988) find when infants held rings (rigid vs. flexible) under a cloth?

• Infants could not distinguish the rings by touch.

• Infants looked longer at the rings that matched what they had felt.

• Infants looked longer at the rings that were different from those they had explored with their hands.

• Infants refused to hold the rings.

24. Which of the following statements about smooth tracking of moving objects is correct?

• Newborns can track fast-moving objects smoothly immediately after birth.

• Infants cannot track even slowly moving objects smoothly until 2 to 3 months of age.

• Tracking ability disappears at 4 months.

• Tracking relies solely on auditory cues.

25. What did William James (1890) famously but incorrectly predict about the infant's sensory experience?

• It is a "blank slate."

• It is a "blooming, buzzing confusion."

• It is sharper than an adult's.

• It is completely silent.

26. Regarding colour vision, how does an infant's ability compare to an adult's?

• Infants are completely colorblind until 1 year of age.

• Infants have better color discrimination than adults at birth.

• By 2-3 months, infants' colour vision is similar to that of adults.

• Infants can distinguish pastel colours better than bright vivid colours.

27. Which sense is considered the most advanced in the newborn?

• Vision

• Hearing

• Taste

• Stereopsis

28. What is "operant conditioning" used for in the context of studying infant perception?

• To measure visual acuity using paddles.

• To create illusory contours.

• To test preferences by rewarding a specific behavior (e.g., sucking pattern) with a stimulus.

• To track eye movements automatically.

29. Walker-Andrews (1997) found that by 5 months of age, infants demonstrate intermodal perception by:

• Reaching for objects they see.

• Associating facial expressions with emotion in voices.

• Preferring sweet tastes over sour ones.

• Distinguishing their mother's face from a stranger's.

30. How do infants learn about their environment through touch during the first few months of life?

• Oral exploration is the dominant method.

• Manual exploration (hands) is dominant immediately at birth.

• They rely solely on their feet.

• They do not use touch until 6 months.

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