4 Gibson and Walk

Question 1

Watch Out for the Visual Cliff Year

Answer 1

1960

Question 2

Watch Out for the Visual Cliff Authors

Answer 2

Gibson and Walk

Question 3

Watch Out for the Visual Cliff Background (3 things)

Answer 3

(1) Infants are notorious falling from high places, but it seems they avoid such accidents as they develop.
(2) The predominate theory used to be that infants learned to avoid falls through experience.
(3) The authors believed that avoidance of a drop-off is part of innate and not a product of experience.

Question 4

Watch out for the Visual Cliff Theory (3 questions)

Answer 4

(1) Is the response preprogrammed at birth or do they develop as a result of experience and learning?
(2) At what stage can a person or animal respond effectively?
(3) Do these responses appear at different times with animals of different species and habitats?

Question 5

Watch out for the Visual Cliff Method and Results (6 things)

Answer 5

(1) The visual cliff is a glass surface that covers a platform immediately under it and extends beyond the platform.
(2) The participants for this study were infants between the ages of 6 months and 14 months.
(3) Each infant was placed on the center board of the visual cliff and was then called by the mother, first from the deep side and then from the shallow side.
(4) When the mothers called to them from the shallow side, the infants crawled off the middle board and crossed the glass.
(5) When the mothers called from the deep side, most of the infants would not move and would become stressed out.
(6) Rats would cross the glass over the deep end because they do not have good sight, but chicks would not cross the deep end glass because they greatly depend on their sight from an early age.

Question 6

Watch out for the Visual Cliff Significance (4 things)

Answer 6

(1) The authors thought all of their observations were consistent with evolutionary theory.
(2) Humans start needing this ability at around 6 months of age.
(3) Chickens and goats need it immediately.
(4) The authors conclude that this capacity is inborn because to learn it through trial and error would cause too many fatal accidents.

Question 7

Watch out for the Visual Cliff Legacy (3 things)

Answer 7

(1) Research: researchers found that infants are more likely to cross wider bridges than narrower ones.
(2) Research: researchers found that patients scared of heights found a virtual drop similar to the visual cliff to be effective in helping them face their fears.
(3) Criticism: It’s possible the authors did not prove that depth perception is innate because by the time the infants were on the visual cliff, they may have already learned to avoid such situations.