Chapter 5

Question 1

Primary circular reactions

Answer 1

Simple motor habits centered around the infant’s own body (such as sucking a thumb) that are repeated because they produced a pleasurable or interesting sensation by chance.

Question 2

Secondary circular reactions

Answer 2

Actions aimed at repeating interesting effects in the surrounding environment that were initially caused by the infant’s own movement (such as accidentally hitting a mobile and then doing it again to see it move).

Question 3

Tertiary circular reactions

Answer 3

Intentional exploration where the toddler repeats behaviors with variation, deliberately provoking new outcomes to observe the results (acting like a “little scientist”).

Question 4

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development

Answer 4

A standardized test used to assess the development of infants and toddlers from 1 month to 3.5 years; it yields scores for cognitive, language, motor, social-emotional, and adaptive behavior.

Question 5

The HOME

Answer 5

(Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment): A checklist for gathering information about the quality of a child’s home life through observation and parental interview, measuring factors like emotional support and educational stimulation.

Question 6

The Violation of Expectation Method

Answer 6

A research technique used to study infant cognition; infants are shown an “expected” event and an “unexpected” event that violates physical laws. Heightened attention to the unexpected event suggests the infant possesses a baseline understanding of the physical world.