In the preference technique, babies tell us what about what they what they know and remember by:
A. how much they smile
B. where and how long they look
C. how much they kick their legs
D. their brain wave patterns
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is B. where and how long they look.
In the preference technique, babies are shown different stimuli, and researchers observe where and how long they look at them. This technique is based on the idea that babies tend to focus more on things they find interesting or familiar. By measuring the duration and direction of their gaze, researchers can infer what a baby knows or remembers. The longer a baby looks at something, the more likely it is that they find it novel, intriguing, or confusing. Conversely, if they spend less time on something, it may suggest they are already familiar with it or find it uninteresting.
This method is particularly useful because it provides insights into the cognitive and sensory development of infants without requiring them to produce verbal responses, which they cannot do at such an early age. Instead, the technique relies on non-verbal behaviors, making it a natural and effective way to study infant preferences and learning.
The preference technique can also be used to examine concepts like object permanence (the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight) or habituation (when a baby loses interest in a repeated stimulus over time, indicating they have processed it). Through these observations, researchers can gain valuable insights into how infants perceive the world and how their memory and knowledge develop over time.