The goal of this assignment is to discuss, in depth, a classic study on children’s cognitive development. You should read the corresponding Baillargeon article (*You do NOT need to read Experiment 3) and answer the following questions about the study. Each question is marked with the point value. Late assignments will receive half credit. You may type your answers directly into this document to upload when complete, or you can type your answers into a separate document as long as younumber each response.
Some tips before you start: Focus on understanding the methods, then go back and re-read the intro and discussion as needed. Read Experiment 1 closely, but them skim Experiment 2 (it is nearly identical in procedure to Experiment 1). Figure 1 is helpful understanding the procedure and shows two different conditions (Experimental and Control; the vertical columns in this figure) and two phases (habituation and then test; the horizontal sections of the figure). The test phase included two different types of trials (depicted in the figure). One additional tip – Baillargeon comes from the “nature” side of things and has more of a nativist theoretical approach to cognition. (I have attached the assigned reading as a PDF**)
1. Complete the chart below.
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Experiment 1 |
Experiment 2 |
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Ages Tested |
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Habituation consisted of?(what did the child see?) |
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What is the control/baseline condition? |
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What is the experimental/test condition? |
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Dependent variable(s) |
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Independent variable(s) |
2. What were the results? Hint, look at the test trials in Figures 2 and 3 along with the text. Who looked longer at what?
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Experiment 1 |
Experiment 2 |
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Control group |
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Experimental group |
3. How does Baillargeon explain her results? Why does she think kids behave in this way? Think about possible theoretical views she is coming from.
4. What might be an alternative explanation for her findings? Think critically about potential third variables, or reference lecture notes on different theories to give you ideas if you are stuck. *There is no right or wrong answer, but you mustexplain WHY you think your reason could lead to the same results as Baillargeon.
