Infant Vision and Hearing Development

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Questions and Answers

At what age do infants begin to achieve smoother eye movements while tracking moving objects?

Two months

Six months

Three to four months (correct)

One month

What visual capability is evident in infants around the third month of life?

Tracking of objects

Color perception

Binocular vision (correct)

Depth perception in pictures

By what age do infants typically show equal attention to stimuli in both visual fields?

Four to five months

At birth

One month

Two to three months (correct)

What phenomenon indicates that infants recognize previously heard material even shortly after birth?

Sucking response to familiar passages Signup and view all the answers

What age can infants typically begin to distinguish between very similar sounds?

One month Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of speech do infants show a preference for?

Exaggerated infant-directed speech Signup and view all the answers

How does experience with crawling affect infants' attention to visual cues?

They become more adept at modifying actions based on visual depth cues Signup and view all the answers

What can be inferred about newborns' orientation towards the visual field?

They orient more to the side of the head Signup and view all the answers

What conclusion did Baillargeon draw from her study regarding infants' understanding of objects?

Infants have an understanding that solid objects cannot pass through each other. Signup and view all the answers

Which part of the infant brain is particularly associated with the formation of autobiographical memory?

Hippocampus Signup and view all the answers

What is one proposed cognitive explanation for infantile amnesia?

Infants' linguistic skills limit their mental representation of events. Signup and view all the answers

According to social theorists, what understanding is essential for episodic memories of personal experiences?

An understanding of self Signup and view all the answers

What kind of memories have Rovee-Collier's studies shown that infants can form?

Short-lived, but recognizable memories of events Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon explains the inability of older children and adults to recall early memories?

Infantile amnesia Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following events did infants in Baillargeon's study observe as impossible?

A truck passing through a solid box. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a proposed hypothesis for infantile amnesia?

Cognitive overload from early experiences Signup and view all the answers

What might contribute to the difference in vocabulary acquisition between Chinese children and children from the United States?

Cultural emphasis on naming objects versus actions. Signup and view all the answers

What defines telegraphic speech in young children?

The omission of unnecessary words. Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of infant-directed speech?

Employing exaggerated intonation and pitch. Signup and view all the answers

According to research, how do infants respond to different types of speech?

They pay more attention to adults speaking to infants. Signup and view all the answers

What purpose does infant-directed speech serve in communication?

To enhance infants' ability to hear and understand sounds. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the vocabulary size of toddlers as they begin telegraphic speech?

50-200 words. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement regarding children's language learning in different cultures is accurate?

Cultural emphasis influences language acquisition strategies. Signup and view all the answers

What is an implication of using telegraphic speech in toddlers?

They lack the ability to form complete sentences. Signup and view all the answers

How does temperament affect parental behavior?

A cranky infant leads to fewer positive reactions from parents. Signup and view all the answers

What is indicated as a consequence of having a fussy child?

Diminished patience and increased punitive behavior. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about temperament and personality is true?

Temperament can evolve with parental support. Signup and view all the answers

What primarily differentiates personality from temperament?

Personality is influenced by experiences as well as biology. Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is NOT a component of personality?

Physical appearance. Signup and view all the answers

What may happen as children grow biologically?

Temperamental characteristics evolve and change. Signup and view all the answers

How does a nurturing environment affect a child's temperament?

It may enhance the capacity for self-control. Signup and view all the answers

What is most true about the development of personality?

Personality becomes more nuanced through experience and development. Signup and view all the answers

What is the concept Bowlby used to define a healthy attachment between parent and child?

Secure base Signup and view all the answers

According to Bowlby, what two factors are essential for a healthy attachment?

Responsive caregiving and enjoyable interactions Signup and view all the answers

What behaviors did Bowlby observe in infants to prevent separation from caregivers?

Crying and waiting for the caregiver to return Signup and view all the answers

Erikson argued that the most crucial goal of infancy is to develop what?

Sense of trust in caregivers Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of Erikson's first stage of psychosocial development?

Trust vs. Mistrust Signup and view all the answers

What evolutionary function did Bowlby attribute to infants' negative responses to separation?

Ensuring proximity to attachment figures Signup and view all the answers

Bowlby's idea of a secure base provides infants with what benefit?

A safe foundation to explore the surroundings Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes one of Bowlby's observations about mammals regarding attachment?

Many mammals show similar attachment-related behaviors as infants. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Infant Vision Development

Young infants lack the ability to anticipate an object's trajectory.
At two months, eye movements become smoother, but still trail object motion.
This ability develops around three to four months of age.
Newborns focus more on the visual field toward the side of the head than the middle.
This equalizes by two to three months.
Binocular vision emerges around three months and continues to develop for six months.
By six months, infants can perceive depth in pictures.
Crawling and exploring experience enhances infants' attention to depth cues and influences behavior.

Infant Hearing and Development

Hearing is very keen at birth and emerges as early as the seventh month of prenatal development.
Newborns prefer their mothers' voices over other females speaking the same material.
They also register in utero specific information from their mothers' voices.
Infants can differentiate between very similar sounds by one month.
They recognize familiar voices even earlier.
Infants are particularly sensitive to speech frequencies and prefer exaggerated infant-directed speech.

Object Permanence and Cognition

A study by Baillargeon demonstrates infants' understanding of object permanence.
Three-month-old infants were shown a truck rolling down a track and behind a screen.
A box, appearing solid but hollow, was positioned beside the track.
When the box was placed on the track, the truck continued unimpeded.
Infants spent more time observing this impossible event, suggesting an understanding of solid objects.
This contradicts Piaget's theory of object permanence development due to experience.

Infant Memory and Infantile Amnesia

Infant memory is fleeting and fragile due to brain immaturity.
Adults experience infantile amnesia, difficulty recalling memories from early life.
This is attributed to the immaturity of brain areas vital for autobiographical memory formation.
The lack of linguistic skills in infancy hinders the ability to represent events and encode memories.
Even if early memories exist, older individuals may lack the appropriate retrieval cues.
Social theorists propose that episodic memories depend on a sense of self, which is underdeveloped in infancy.
Studies by Rovee-Collier demonstrate infants' ability to remember events, albeit short-lived.

Language Development in Infants

Toddlers develop a vocabulary of 50-200 words and combine them in telegraphic speech.
Telegraphic speech omits unnecessary words, such as articles and prepositions.
It resembles a telegraph or text message, conveying meaning with minimal words.
This allows for communication without the complexities of full grammatical structures.

Infant-Directed Speech

Adults use exaggerated speech patterns, high-pitched voice, and facial expressions when talking to infants.
This universal phenomenon is called infant-directed speech.
Infants are more attentive to the speaker's tone than the content of the words.
Infant-directed speech may help infants clearly hear the sounds of words and facilitate interaction.
This pattern of interaction strengthens the bond between the speaker and listener.

Temperament and Personality

Difficult or cranky infants may receive fewer positive reactions from parents.
Parents of challenging children may become more punitive and less patient.
This can affect marital satisfaction and work-life balance for parents.
Temperament is a stable aspect of personality, but can be managed through development.
Personality, defined as an individual's consistent pattern of behavior, arises from a complex interplay of biological disposition and experience.
Temperament influences personality development, but personality is broader and encompasses self-concept, motivations, values, coping styles, and other qualities.

Attachment and Secure Base

Attachment to a primary caregiver is essential for normal social and emotional development.
Bowlby proposed the concept of a secure base, a parental presence that provides safety while exploring surroundings.
A healthy attachment requires responsiveness to a child's needs and mutually enjoyable interactions.
Infants exhibit strong reactions to separation, indicating the power of the attachment bond.
These responses are evolutionarily advantageous, promoting survival by maintaining proximity to caregivers.

Erikson's Trust vs. Mistrust Stage

Erikson emphasized the importance of a secure base for healthy development.
The first stage of Erikson's psychosocial development theory focuses on trust vs. mistrust.
This stage highlights the significance of attachment and trust development within the first 18 months of life.

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Description

This quiz explores the key milestones in infants' vision and hearing development. It covers aspects such as the progression of visual acuity and the ability to perceive depth, as well as the keen sense of hearing that develops even before birth. Understanding these concepts is crucial for recognizing how sensory experiences shape infant behavior.