PSYC 140 MIDTERM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Suppose one infant, "infant BR," could categorically perceive blue and red but not
green...how would infant BR's habituation/dishabituation patterns look different from
another ("infant BGR"), who categorically perceived blue, green and red? Describe the
experimental paradigm used and draw a figure illustrating the two different results. -
Answers - - Habituation and dishabituation can be used to study infants' perceptual
abilities
Experimental paradigm:
- 1st, both infants would be exposed to stimuli consisting of red and blue objects. As
they repeatedly see these colors, they become habituated to them (less interested)
- then, both infants would be exposed to new stimuli, but both infants would still show
habituation to red and blue because they can categorically perceive these colors.
- then, to see if these infants can perceive green, a green stimulus would be introduced
and they would see whether habituation or dishabituation occurs.
-- the BR infant would not experience dishabituation when green is introduced because
it can't categorically perceive green
-- however, the BGR infant would likely exhibit dishabituation because they can
categorically perceive green.
Provide two examples of critical/sensitive periods in perceptual or cognitive
development and two cases where no such periods seem present. Speculate as to why
the periods are found in one set and not in the other. - Answers - A critical or sensitive
period in perceptual and cognitive development refer to specific time frames during
which certain experiences or environmental inputs have a particularly strong impact on
a person's development.
Example 1: Language Acquisition
- critical period for language acquisition during the first few years of life. children
exposed to language during this period tend to acquire language skills rapidly and
effortlessly
- speculation: this critical period may be linked to the malleability of the developing brain
during early childhood. Neural connections related to language development are highly
adaptive during this time, making it easier for children to acquire language skills.
Example 2: Visual development
- there are sensitive periods for the development of binocular vision, depth perception,
and amblyopia (lazy eye). Early visual experiences are critical for proper development
of these functions
- speculation: the brain's visual system is highly adaptable early in life
2 examples of no critical period
1) executive function skills
- working memory, cognitive control - continued to be developed and enhanced
throughout life
,- speculation: executive function skills rely on complex brain networks that continue to
develop and adapt
2) social and emotional development
- life long processes, these skills can be improved at any age
- speculation: social and emotional development involves complex interactions with
others & experiences that are ongoing and varied throughout life
What is the role of DNA methylation in mammalian epigenetics? How has it changed
views of how traits are transmitted across generations? - Answers - DNA methylation in
mammalian epigenetics is a key mechanism that regulates gene expression and
influences how traits are transmitted across generations. It has expanded our
understanding of the inheritance of traits by emphasizing the role of epigenetic
modifications and environmental influences in shaping an individual's characteristics
and health outcomes.
A peculiar animal first learns to perceive depth by pictorial cues, then by binocular cues,
then dynamic cues. Construct a story of its environmental niche, its anatomy/physiology
and behavior, and a developmental pathway that would make this order plausible. The
animal may well need to be fictional but try to make its environment feasible. - Answers
- Environmental Niche: a rainforest that has soft, diffused light. the forest floor, however,
contains a maze of interwoven foliage and glowing, pulsating mushrooms. our animal's
primary food source camouflages within the complex patters of bioluminescence.
Anatomy/Physiology: this animal has developed large, multifaceted compound eyes that
can detect even the faintest variations in light and color. It has a strong neural network,
particularly in visual processing centers, enabling it to interpret complex visual
information. these adaptations help it navigate the intricate patterns of the forest floor.
Behavior:
- This animal starts life by basking in the radiant glow of the bioluminescent mushrooms.
They learn to discern depth by observing the varying distances between the mushrooms
and the textures created by the patterns on their caps. This initial pictorial cue phase
helps them gauge proximity.
- as they mature, the animal spends more time climbing the trees. they adapt to using
biocular vision when hunting their prey that hangout above the forest floor. by observing
their prey, they develop binocular depth perception
- when the animal goes tot he ground to chase other prey, they encounter dynamic cues
from fast-moving targets. their brains adapt, allowing them to process motion and depth
more effectively
How would you train a rat to climb a ladder, walk across a gangplank and wiggle its way
through a tunnel to get a food pellet? What are the implications for learning how to
perform ordered sequences through operant conditioning as a child? What might be an
alternative account for learning an ordered sequence? - Answers - Similar to how BF
SKINNER uses shaping on pigeons, I would shape this rat's behaviors so that it
eventualy climbs the ladder, then walks across a gangplank and finally wiggle through a
tunnel to receive the reward (food).
, - initially the rat would be placed at the base of the ladder, and a positive reinforcement
would be given when it climbs a few rungs. Gradually, the rat is encouraged to climb
higher.
- next, the rat is given another reward when it successfully walks across the plant after
climbing the ladder.
- then, the tunnel is introduced adn rewards are given for navigating through it after
climbing the ladder and walking the gangplank.
Operant conditioning & child development: children can benefit from reinforcement and
positive feedback to learn sequential tasks. This involves breaking down tasks into
manageable steps, providing feedback, and reinforcing successful completion.
Alternative account for learning an ordered sequence: cognitive development and
memory
- children's capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information enables them to learn
ordered sequences.
- Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes how chlidren's cognitive abilities
advance as they grow. they progress from simple sensory motor responses to more
complex mental operations, facilitating their ability to understand and perform ordered
sequences.
List four possible reasons why young infants imitate. Which reason do you think is most
important and why? What additional evidence can you cite to support your reason? -
Answers - 1. Social connections and bonding
2. learning and skill acquisition
3. language development
4. cognitive development
Most important: Learning and Skill Acquisition.
- Imitation is the primary mechanism through which infants acquire knowledge and skills
that are essential for their survival and adaptation to their environment.
- Evidence to support: imitation is linked to the development of motor skills, as infants
imitate actions to refine their own movement . The ability to imitate and learn from
others provides infants with the tools they need to navigate and make sense of their
world.
Describe how Stage 4 of the sensorimotor period enabled the infants to begin to pass
the A not B task, according to Piaget. - Answers - - The "A not B task" is an experiment
in which an infant is presented with an object (A) hidden in one location (A location)
several times successfully, and then the object is moved to a new location (B location).
The task is to see if the infant can understand the change in location and retrieve the
object from its new hiding place.
- Stage 4 of the sensorimotor period is when infants begin applying multiple schemes to
the same object. They begin to realize that objects have enduring properties
independent of their actions. Infants being retrieving fully hidden objects (object
permanence) but do not fully represent the object when it is out of sight.
Suppose one infant, "infant BR," could categorically perceive blue and red but not
green...how would infant BR's habituation/dishabituation patterns look different from
another ("infant BGR"), who categorically perceived blue, green and red? Describe the
experimental paradigm used and draw a figure illustrating the two different results. -
Answers - - Habituation and dishabituation can be used to study infants' perceptual
abilities
Experimental paradigm:
- 1st, both infants would be exposed to stimuli consisting of red and blue objects. As
they repeatedly see these colors, they become habituated to them (less interested)
- then, both infants would be exposed to new stimuli, but both infants would still show
habituation to red and blue because they can categorically perceive these colors.
- then, to see if these infants can perceive green, a green stimulus would be introduced
and they would see whether habituation or dishabituation occurs.
-- the BR infant would not experience dishabituation when green is introduced because
it can't categorically perceive green
-- however, the BGR infant would likely exhibit dishabituation because they can
categorically perceive green.
Provide two examples of critical/sensitive periods in perceptual or cognitive
development and two cases where no such periods seem present. Speculate as to why
the periods are found in one set and not in the other. - Answers - A critical or sensitive
period in perceptual and cognitive development refer to specific time frames during
which certain experiences or environmental inputs have a particularly strong impact on
a person's development.
Example 1: Language Acquisition
- critical period for language acquisition during the first few years of life. children
exposed to language during this period tend to acquire language skills rapidly and
effortlessly
- speculation: this critical period may be linked to the malleability of the developing brain
during early childhood. Neural connections related to language development are highly
adaptive during this time, making it easier for children to acquire language skills.
Example 2: Visual development
- there are sensitive periods for the development of binocular vision, depth perception,
and amblyopia (lazy eye). Early visual experiences are critical for proper development
of these functions
- speculation: the brain's visual system is highly adaptable early in life
2 examples of no critical period
1) executive function skills
- working memory, cognitive control - continued to be developed and enhanced
throughout life
,- speculation: executive function skills rely on complex brain networks that continue to
develop and adapt
2) social and emotional development
- life long processes, these skills can be improved at any age
- speculation: social and emotional development involves complex interactions with
others & experiences that are ongoing and varied throughout life
What is the role of DNA methylation in mammalian epigenetics? How has it changed
views of how traits are transmitted across generations? - Answers - DNA methylation in
mammalian epigenetics is a key mechanism that regulates gene expression and
influences how traits are transmitted across generations. It has expanded our
understanding of the inheritance of traits by emphasizing the role of epigenetic
modifications and environmental influences in shaping an individual's characteristics
and health outcomes.
A peculiar animal first learns to perceive depth by pictorial cues, then by binocular cues,
then dynamic cues. Construct a story of its environmental niche, its anatomy/physiology
and behavior, and a developmental pathway that would make this order plausible. The
animal may well need to be fictional but try to make its environment feasible. - Answers
- Environmental Niche: a rainforest that has soft, diffused light. the forest floor, however,
contains a maze of interwoven foliage and glowing, pulsating mushrooms. our animal's
primary food source camouflages within the complex patters of bioluminescence.
Anatomy/Physiology: this animal has developed large, multifaceted compound eyes that
can detect even the faintest variations in light and color. It has a strong neural network,
particularly in visual processing centers, enabling it to interpret complex visual
information. these adaptations help it navigate the intricate patterns of the forest floor.
Behavior:
- This animal starts life by basking in the radiant glow of the bioluminescent mushrooms.
They learn to discern depth by observing the varying distances between the mushrooms
and the textures created by the patterns on their caps. This initial pictorial cue phase
helps them gauge proximity.
- as they mature, the animal spends more time climbing the trees. they adapt to using
biocular vision when hunting their prey that hangout above the forest floor. by observing
their prey, they develop binocular depth perception
- when the animal goes tot he ground to chase other prey, they encounter dynamic cues
from fast-moving targets. their brains adapt, allowing them to process motion and depth
more effectively
How would you train a rat to climb a ladder, walk across a gangplank and wiggle its way
through a tunnel to get a food pellet? What are the implications for learning how to
perform ordered sequences through operant conditioning as a child? What might be an
alternative account for learning an ordered sequence? - Answers - Similar to how BF
SKINNER uses shaping on pigeons, I would shape this rat's behaviors so that it
eventualy climbs the ladder, then walks across a gangplank and finally wiggle through a
tunnel to receive the reward (food).
, - initially the rat would be placed at the base of the ladder, and a positive reinforcement
would be given when it climbs a few rungs. Gradually, the rat is encouraged to climb
higher.
- next, the rat is given another reward when it successfully walks across the plant after
climbing the ladder.
- then, the tunnel is introduced adn rewards are given for navigating through it after
climbing the ladder and walking the gangplank.
Operant conditioning & child development: children can benefit from reinforcement and
positive feedback to learn sequential tasks. This involves breaking down tasks into
manageable steps, providing feedback, and reinforcing successful completion.
Alternative account for learning an ordered sequence: cognitive development and
memory
- children's capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information enables them to learn
ordered sequences.
- Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes how chlidren's cognitive abilities
advance as they grow. they progress from simple sensory motor responses to more
complex mental operations, facilitating their ability to understand and perform ordered
sequences.
List four possible reasons why young infants imitate. Which reason do you think is most
important and why? What additional evidence can you cite to support your reason? -
Answers - 1. Social connections and bonding
2. learning and skill acquisition
3. language development
4. cognitive development
Most important: Learning and Skill Acquisition.
- Imitation is the primary mechanism through which infants acquire knowledge and skills
that are essential for their survival and adaptation to their environment.
- Evidence to support: imitation is linked to the development of motor skills, as infants
imitate actions to refine their own movement . The ability to imitate and learn from
others provides infants with the tools they need to navigate and make sense of their
world.
Describe how Stage 4 of the sensorimotor period enabled the infants to begin to pass
the A not B task, according to Piaget. - Answers - - The "A not B task" is an experiment
in which an infant is presented with an object (A) hidden in one location (A location)
several times successfully, and then the object is moved to a new location (B location).
The task is to see if the infant can understand the change in location and retrieve the
object from its new hiding place.
- Stage 4 of the sensorimotor period is when infants begin applying multiple schemes to
the same object. They begin to realize that objects have enduring properties
independent of their actions. Infants being retrieving fully hidden objects (object
permanence) but do not fully represent the object when it is out of sight.
