9. Physical Knowledge in Infancy

Flashcards about physical knowledge in infancy, covering theories, object permanence, and intuitive understandings.

What is Piaget's Constructivist theory?

Action is necessary for a child's construction of knowledge, with a late development of conceptual understanding about the world of objects.

What is the Core Knowledge Hypothesis?

Infants possess innate knowledge of object concepts, which includes principles like solidity, cohesion, contact, and continuity.

What does Karmiloff-Smith propose about physical understanding?

Genes specify initial predispositions that channel attention to relevant environmental inputs, leading to implicit understanding rather than innate knowledge.

What is 'representational redescription'?

The change from implicit to explicit knowledge within the domain of physical understanding.

What is Object Permanence?

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible.

What is the A-not-B error?

An error where an infant searches for a hidden object where they last found it (location A) rather than at its current location (location B).

What did Baillargeon's 'Drawbridge Study' demonstrate?

Infants looked longer at an impossible event, suggesting they understand that objects continue to exist when hidden from view.

What are the alternative perceptual interpretations regarding infant studies?

Perceptual persistence and preference for events that display more motion.

Regarding infant cognition, what do search errors suggest?

Infants have knowledge but are initially unable to use it to guide their actions, implying early cognitive development involves constructing knowledge-action links.

What are possible reasons for search errors?

Limited problem-solving abilities, frontal cortex immaturity, weaker representations, and early representations being implicit.

According to Baillargeon, how do infants understand physical events?

Infants construct all-or-none representations that capture events' essence. With experience, these core representations are elaborated.

What are children's naïve theories?

Conceptual rules children spontaneously extrapolate from experience to make explanations and predictions about the world, often resistant to counter-evidence.

What is the 'gravity error'?

Children infer that the trajectory of an invisibly falling object will be straight down.

How do children initially approach balancing tasks?

Young children often rigidly stick to a naïve 'centre theory' of balance before developing a more flexible strategy.

When do children start exhibiting object function through action?

Around 1 year old, children begin to show correct use of everyday objects (e.g., bringing spoon to mouth).

What did Hunnius & Bekkering's anticipatory-looking technique reveal?

Infants as young as 6 months have expectations about how everyday objects are used.