Question 1

Newborns

Accepted Answer

Newborns can perceive a few colours, specifically red, green, and blue, but their colour perception is not as developed as adults. They may not be able to distinguish between shades of the same colour or have difficulty with pastel colours.

Question 2

Which best describes a newborn's sense of smell?

Accepted Answer

Newborns have a highly developed sense of smell, which helps them recognize their mother and find food (breast milk) from birth.

Question 3

How would you respond to an expectant mother who claims that her eight-month-old foetus gets excited every time her unusually loud cell phone plays a custom ringtone of her recorded voice?

Accepted Answer

It is true that by the eighth month of pregnancy, the foetus's sense of hearing is already developed and they can respond to external sounds, including the mother's voice. Therefore, it is plausible that the foetus is responding to the mother's custom ringtone.

Question 4

Dr Sithole is planning a demonstration on infant visual perception for her developmental psychology class. In order to demonstrate the sharpness of an infant's vision at six feet, Dr Sithole should have students look at an object about ____ metres away.

Accepted Answer

Infants have a visual acuity of about 20/400 to 20/600, meaning they see at 20 feet what an adult with normal vision sees at 400 to 600 feet. To simulate this, students should look at an object 18-35 meters away to experience similar visual sharpness.

Question 5

The Babinski reflex is evidence that infants

Accepted Answer

The Babinski reflex is a physical response in which an infant's toes spread apart and their big toe stretches in response to a stimulus, such as a stroke on the bottom of the foot. This reflex is used to test for neurological development and indicates that the infant is capable of perceiving touch.

Question 6

Kgosi suddenly lets out a high-pitched cry, lowers his eyebrows, and purses his lips. You would be safest in assuming that Kgosi is

Accepted Answer

Kgosi's high-pitched cry, lowered eyebrows, and pursed lips are all indicative of pain.

Question 7

Dr Mkhize is measuring the point at which an infant can no longer differentiate between a striped-patterned stimulus and a grey square. Dr Mkhize is probably attempting to measure the infant's

Accepted Answer

Dr Mkhize is measuring the visual acuity of the infant, specifically the point at which they can no longer differentiate between a striped-patterned stimulus and a grey square. Visual acuity refers to the sharpness and clarity of vision.

Question 8

Bongi and Keitumetse are expecting a baby girl, and are shopping for decorations for the nursery. Keitumetse is concerned about making sure that they buy coloured decorations that will stimulate their newborn daughter's

Accepted Answer

Cones are responsible for colour vision, so purchasing coloured decorations would stimulate their newborn daughter's cones.

Question 9

Traditional eye tests in which a person is shown a chart with a set of letters in lines that get progressively smaller near the bottom of the chart are designed to directly assess

Accepted Answer

The traditional eye tests where a chart with letters in lines of decreasing size is used is specifically designed to test for visual acuity, which is the ability to see objects clearly and with detail at a certain distance. It measures the sharpness of vision and can determine the need for corrective lenses.

Question 10

About how old will an infant be when it can perceive the same colours adults perceive?

Accepted Answer

Infants can distinguish different colors at around 4 months old, but their color perception may not be as fine-tuned as adults. Studies have shown that infants may have difficulty distinguishing between similar shades, such as light blue and light purple, until around 8 months old.

Question 11

What is the best evidence for the notion that sociocultural forces play a role in handedness?

Accepted Answer

The best evidence for sociocultural forces playing a role in handedness is that when societal attitudes change, the incidence of left-handedness changes. This suggests that cultural factors may influence the frequency of left-handedness. For example, in the past, left-handedness was often stigmatized, and some schools even forced left-handed children to write with their right hand. As societal attitudes have become more accepting of left-handedness, the incidence of left-handedness has increased. This is particularly evident in countries where left-handedness was once seen as a sign of witchcraft or other negative associations.

Question 12

Which approach is used to help researchers assess infants' visual acuity?

Accepted Answer

Striped objects are used to help researchers assess infants' visual acuity, as they provide a clear and distinct pattern for the infant to focus on and distinguish.

Question 13

The process by which the brain receives, selects, modifies, and organises incoming nerve impulses is referred to as

Accepted Answer

While sensation refers to the initial process of receiving nerve impulses from the senses, perception is the higher-level process by which the brain interprets and gives meaning to those sensations, modifying and organizing them based on past experiences and mental constructs. Imagination and expansion are not directly related to the sensory processing of nerve impulses.

Question 14

Gugu offers her 10-day-old daughter, Keitumetse, a taste of some juices she is trying in the supermarket. Based on the fact that Keitumetse is a typical infant, you would suspect that Keitumetse preferred

Accepted Answer

Infants generally have a preference for sweet tastes and are known to reject bitter and sour flavors. This preference for sweetness is thought to be innate as breast milk, which is the primary source of nutrition for infants, is naturally sweet.

Question 15

Which child's visual acuity would have most recently matched that of an adult with 20/20 vision?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which child's visual acuity would have most...

Question 16

Infants

Accepted Answer

Infants produce a distinct "pain cry" when they experience discomfort or pain. This cry is different from their usual cry and is characterized by a higher pitched, more urgent tone. Additionally, infants are known to be sensitive to pain and may have a lower pain threshold compared to older individuals. Therefore, options A and B are incorrect. Option D is also incorrect because it compares infants to teenagers, which is not relevant to the question.

Question 17

After a one-year check-up, your doctor comments, 'There has been virtually no development of the cones in your daughter's visual system.' What impact would this have?

Accepted Answer

Cones are responsible for colour vision, so if they have not developed, your daughter would have difficulty distinguishing colours. None of the other options are applicable based on the information given.

Question 18

Dr Mokoena is studying the sensing of colour by researching the structure and development of cones. Where does she need to look to find these structures?

Accepted Answer

Cones are located in the retina of the eye, which is where visual information is first processed. Therefore, Dr Mokoena should look in the retina to find the structures she is studying.

Question 19

Thembi sings the same lullaby to her infant son every night because she believes he has learned to recognise it. Does recent research support her claim?

Accepted Answer

Recent research suggests that infants are capable of recognising and remembering melodies as early as in the prenatal stages of development. They show preference for familiar melodies and can even differentiate between different versions of the same melody. Therefore, it is likely that Thembi's infant son is able to recognise the particular lullaby she sings to him every night.

Question 20

Infants tend to be able to

Accepted Answer

The answer of Infants tend to be able to
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Quiz 3: Tools for Exploring the World: Physical, Perceptual, and Motor Development