baillargeon's explanations of infant abilities Flashcards
(30 cards)
What is knowledge of the physical world in infant development?
It refers to our understanding of how the physical world works, such as object permanence—the understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight.
What is object permanence?
The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible.
What is the violation of expectation (VOE) method?
A research method where infants see expected and unexpected events; surprise at the unexpected suggests knowledge of the physical world.
Who developed the violation of expectation method?
Renée Baillargeon.
What does the VOE method test in infants?
It tests infants’ knowledge of object permanence and their understanding of physical properties of objects.
What did Baillargeon argue about young babies’ understanding of the physical world?
She argued that young babies have a better understanding of the physical world than Piaget suggested.
What did Piaget believe about babies and object permanence?
He believed babies less than 8-9 months have a primitive understanding and lack object permanence.
What is an example of a VOE experiment?
A baby sees a short rabbit and a tall rabbit pass behind a screen; if the tall rabbit is hidden when it should be visible, surprise suggests knowledge of object permanence.
What does it mean if infants look longer at an unexpected event in a VOE study?
It suggests they have an understanding of the violated principle, such as object permanence.
What is an occlusion event?
An event where one object blocks the view of another, used to test infants’ understanding of object persistence.
What is containment in infant research?
The idea that when an object is placed inside a container, it should remain there unless visibly removed.
What is Baillargeon’s theory of infant physical reasoning called?
Physical reasoning system (PRS).
What does the physical reasoning system (PRS) propose?
Humans are born with a basic understanding of the physical world and the ability to learn more details easily.
What is object persistence?
The idea that an object remains in existence and does not spontaneously change structure.
How does development of physical reasoning proceed in infants?
Infants begin to identify event categories, such as occlusion, and learn how objects interact within these categories.
What is the significance of ‘unexpected’ events in VOE studies?
They capture infants’ attention, indicating a predisposition to attend to new events and learn about the world.
What is a strength of Baillargeon’s VOE method compared to Piaget’s methods?
It has greater validity because it controls for confounding variables like distraction.
What is a limitation of Baillargeon’s VOE research?
It assumes that surprise at unexpected events is always linked to understanding object permanence, which may not be true.
How does Baillargeon’s theory explain universal understanding?
It suggests all humans are born with a basic physical reasoning system, regardless of culture.
What is the difference between recognising and understanding an event, according to critics?
Recognising an event is not the same as understanding it; understanding requires conscious thought and reasoning.
What does research suggest about individual differences in physical reasoning?
There is little evidence for significant individual differences; most infants show similar basic understanding.
What is the role of experience in developing physical reasoning?
Experience makes our primitive awareness of physical properties more sophisticated over time.
What is the main idea behind Baillargeon’s explanation of infant abilities?
Infants have a more advanced understanding of the physical world than previously thought, due to an innate physical reasoning system.
What is the purpose of using both expected and unexpected events in VOE studies?
To determine if infants notice violations of physical principles, indicating their understanding.
