A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

What procedure was used to test the infants in the Gibson and Walk experiment?

1. They were placed in a dark room and observed

2. They crawled towards a visual cliff with their mother calling them

3. They were shown various pictures and measured for responses

4. They were placed on a balance beam and tested for stability

The correct answer is: They crawled towards a visual cliff with their mother calling them

The correct choice involves the procedure in which infants crawled towards a visual cliff while their mothers called them. This experiment, known as the "visual cliff experiment," was designed to assess depth perception in infants. In this setup, infants were placed on a platform that had an apparent drop-off, created by a glass surface over a lower level, simulating a cliff. The infants were encouraged to crawl across this visual cliff with their mothers calling to them from the other side. This allowed researchers to observe whether the infants would crawl over the perceived danger (the visual cliff) or hesitate, demonstrating their understanding of depth and their ability to perceive potential risk. This method effectively revealed insights into how infants respond to visual depth cues, significantly contributing to our understanding of perceptual development in early childhood. It highlights the role of social referencing, as infants often look to their caregivers for cues regarding safety.