Generalizing from research conducted by Karen Adolph, if you observed an 8-month-old infant and a 14-month-old infant attempt a somewhat dangerous motor task (such as climbing up a stair), which of these two infants should you expect to be more cautious and more aware of the risk?
A) the 8-month-old infant would be more cautious
B) the 14-month-old infant would be more cautious
C) These two infants would be equally cautious, but the 8-month-old would be more aware of the risks involved.
D) These two infants would be equally cautious, but the 14-month-old would be more aware of the risks involved.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Adolph and her colleagues observed the capabilities of infants as they crawled or walked up and down "slopes" at varying angles. At age 8 1⁄2 months, infants typically charged up steep slopes, crawling without hesitation. Then, perhaps after surveying the downward side, they continued on headfirst, where most got into trouble and needed to be rescued by the experimenters. In contrast, 14-month-old "walkers" were better judges of risk; after walking up the steep slope, they changed strategies and carefully and safely slid down. The 14-month-olds were more cautious than the 8-month-olds.

Generalizing from Research Conducted by Karen Adolph, If You Observed