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What was the significant finding regarding the crawling behavior of infants in the Gibson and Walk study?

  1. All infants crawled towards the deep side

  2. Most infants preferred the shallow side

  3. Infants crawled equally towards both sides

  4. Infants had no clear preference

The correct answer is: Most infants preferred the shallow side

The significant finding from the Gibson and Walk study, often referred to as the visual cliff experiment, indicated that most infants displayed a clear preference for the shallow side of the platform as opposed to the deep side. This preference was interpreted as evidence that infants possess a visual awareness of depth and are able to perceive the risk of falling from a height. The design of the experiment involved a glass-covered platform that created the illusion of a cliff, with one side appearing shallow and the other deep. When encouraged to crawl toward their mothers, the majority of infants hesitated or avoided crawling to the deep side, suggesting an innate or learned sense of fear or caution regarding heights. This behavior illustrates how even at a very young age, infants are able to utilize depth perception to guide their actions and decisions, highlighting an important aspect of their cognitive development and understanding of their environment.