Discuss the two lines of research examining infants' ability to reason about the characteristics of invisible objects. Describe these studies, including the methodology and the conclusions.

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The Answer is The two lines of research examining infants' ability to reason about the characteristics of invisible objects are the violation of expectation method and the anticipatory looking method.

The violation of expectation method involves presenting infants with a scenario where an object disappears behind a screen and then reappears in a different location. Researchers measure the infants' looking time to determine if they expect the object to reappear in the new location or if they are surprised by its location. This method has been used to study infants' understanding of object permanence, the concept that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible.

One study using the violation of expectation method found that infants as young as 4 months old showed surprise when an object reappeared in a location that was physically impossible for it to have moved to, indicating that they have some understanding of object permanence at a very young age (Baillargeon, 1987).

The anticipatory looking method involves presenting infants with a scenario where an object is hidden behind a screen and then a second screen is lifted to reveal the object's location. Researchers measure the infants' eye movements to determine if they anticipate the object's location before it is revealed. This method has been used to study infants' understanding of invisible displacement, the concept that objects can move without being seen.

One study using the anticipatory looking method found that 10-month-old infants were able to anticipate the location of an object that had been invisibly displaced, indicating that they have some understanding of invisible displacement at a relatively young age (Kellman & Spelke, 1983).

In conclusion, both lines of research have provided evidence that infants have some ability to reason about the characteristics of invisible objects at a much younger age than previously thought. These studies have used innovative methodologies to shed light on the cognitive abilities of infants and have important implications for our understanding of early cognitive development.

Discuss the Two Lines of Research Examining Infants' Ability to Reason