Chapter 5

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

The processing of information from the external world via receptors in the sense organs and brain

Question 2

Perception

Answer 2

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information

Question 3

Preferential-looking technique

Answer 3

A method for studying visual attention in infants that involves showing infants two images simultaneously to see if the infants prefer one over the other (indexed by longer looking)

Question 4

Visual activity

Answer 4

The sharpness and clarity of vision

Question 5

Contrast sensitivity

Answer 5

The ability to detect differences in light and dark areas in a visual pattern

Question 6

Cone cells

Answer 6

Light-sensitive neurons that are highly concentrated in the fovea (the central region of the retina)

Question 7

Smooth pursuit eye movements

Answer 7

Visual behavior in which the viewer’s gaze shifts at the same rate and angle as a moving object

Question 8

Gaze-following

Answer 8

Synchronizing visual attention with another person by tracking their gaze

Question 9

Perceptual constancy

Answer 9

The perception of objects as being of constant size, shape, color, and so on, in spite of physical differences in retinal image of the object

Question 10

Object segregation

Answer 10

The identification of separate objects in a visual array

Question 11

Violation-of-expectancy

Answer 11

A procedure in which infants are shown an event that should evoke surprise or interest if it is inconsistent with their prior knowledge

Question 12

Optical expansion

Answer 12

A depth cue in which an object occludes increasingly more of the background, indicating that the object is approaching

Question 13

Binocular disparity

Answer 13

The difference between the retinal image of an object in each eye that results in two slightly different signals being sent to the brain

Question 14

Stereopsis

Answer 14

The process by which the visual cortex combines the differing neural signals caused by binocular disparity, resulting in the perception of depth

Question 15

Monocular depth (or pictorial) cues

Answer 15

The perceptual cues of depth (such as relative size and interposition) that can be perceived by one eye alone

Question 16

Auditory localization

Answer 16

Perception of the location in space of a sound source

Question 17

Head-turn preference procedure (HPP)

Answer 17

Experimental test of auditory perception in which different sounds are presented to infants from different locations, and the researcher uses the duration of infants’ looks toward each location to determine which sounds they prefer to listen to

Question 18

Perceptual narrowing

Answer 18

Developmental changes in which experience fine-tunes the perceptual system to focus on the distinctions between stimuli that are most relevant in a person’s environment

Question 19

Intermodal perception

Answer 19

The combining of information from two or more sensory systems

Question 20

Reflexes

Answer 20

Fixed patterns of action that occur in response to particular stimulation

Question 21

Stepping reflex

Answer 21

A neonatal reflex in which an infant lifts first one leg and then the other in a coordinated pattern like walking

Question 22

Affordances

Answer 22

The possibilities for action offered, or afforded, by objects and situations

Question 23

Pre-reaching movements

Answer 23

Clumsy swiping movements by young infants toward objects they see

Question 24

Self-locomotion

Answer 24

The ability to move oneself around in the environment

Question 25

Scale error

Answer 25

The attempt by a young child to perform an action on a miniature object that is impossible due to the large discrepancy in the relative sizes of the child and the object

Question 26

Classical conditioning

Answer 26

A form of learning that consists of associating an initially neutral stimulus with a stimulus that always evokes a particular reflexive response

Question 27

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

Answer 27

A stimulus that evokes a reflexive response

Question 28

Unconditioned response (UCR)

Answer 28

A reflexive response that is elicited by the unconditioned stimulus

Question 29

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

Answer 29

The neutral stimulus that is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus

Question 30

Conditioned response (CR)

Answer 30

The originally reflexive response that comes to be elicited by the conditioned stimulus

Question 31

Instrumental (or operant) conditioning

Answer 31

Learning the relation between one's own behavior and the consequences that result from it

Question 32

Positive reinforcement

Answer 32

A reward that reliably follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated

Question 33

Rational learning

Answer 33

The ability to use prior experiences to predict what will occur in the future

Question 34

Active learning

Answer 34

Learning by engaging with the world, rather than passively observing objects and events