When babies were placed on an ambiguous visual cliff in the Sorce, et al. (1985) ?study::
Group of answer choices
all of the babies crossed when their mothers showed happy, reassuring faces.
about three-quarters of the babies crossed when their mothers showed happy, reassuring faces.
about one-third of the babies crossed when their mothers showed happy, reassuring faces.
none of the babies crossed despite their mothers’ happy, reassuring faces.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is:
“About three-quarters of the babies crossed when their mothers showed happy, reassuring faces.”
Explanation:
Sorce et al. (1985) conducted a study using the visual cliff paradigm to investigate social referencing in infants. The visual cliff is an apparatus that creates the illusion of a drop-off, though a clear glass surface allows safe crossing. The goal was to see how infants relied on their mothers’ facial expressions to make decisions in uncertain situations.
In the study, 12-month-old infants were placed on a solid side of the visual cliff while their mothers stood on the opposite side. The mothers were instructed to display either happy, encouraging facial expressions or fearful, discouraging expressions. The findings showed:
- About 75% (three-quarters) of the babies crossed when their mothers showed happy, reassuring faces.
- Only a few crossed when mothers displayed fearful expressions.
- This demonstrated that infants use their caregivers’ emotional cues to navigate ambiguous or potentially risky situations.
This study was significant in developmental psychology because it showed that infants look to their caregivers for guidance in unfamiliar settings. If the mother appeared happy and reassuring, most infants perceived the environment as safe and crossed the cliff. However, when the mother showed fear, the majority avoided crossing.
These results highlight the importance of social referencing, where infants rely on trusted adults’ emotional signals to interpret situations. It also provides insights into early emotional development, showing that even before they can speak, babies are highly attuned to nonverbal communication.
Would you like an image of a baby on a visual cliff with different facial expressions from the mother? Let me know the details, and I can generate it for you! 😊