Jason is looking around the living room for his car keys and says out loud, "Where are my keys?" His one-year old son, Eli, is sitting in his high-chair eating graham crackers, and watching Jason struggle to find the keys. Which of the following statements BEST describes Eli's perception of this search?
A) There is no way that research in child cognition can draw any conclusions about the thought processes of children this young.
B) Eli is not at all aware of what is going on, but is stimulated by the sights and sounds of his father.
C) Eli understands that Jason's actions are related to the goal of finding something.
D) Eli thinks that Jason is looking for more graham crackers.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In this scenario, Eli is able to understand and perceive that Jason's actions are related to the goal of finding something, even though he may not fully comprehend what the keys are or how they are used. This perception is based on research in child cognition that suggests infants as young as one year old can understand certain cause-and-effect relationships. Option A is incorrect as research has shown that infants as young as a few months old have certain thought processes. Option B is incorrect as Eli is not just being stimulated by the sights and sounds, but is able to perceive what Jason is doing. Option D is incorrect as Eli is capable of distinguishing between different actions and their purposes.

Jason Is Looking Around the Living Room for His Car