Renee Baillargeon studied object permanence by showing infants possible events and impossible events. In the possible event, a screen rotated until it made contact with a box, at which point it began rotating backwards. In the impossible event, when the rotating screen reached the box, it continued to rotate, the box appeared to disappear, and the box reappeared after the screen rotated past it. She found that 4 ½-month-old infants looked
A) longer at the impossible event than the possible event, suggesting they understood object permanence.
B) longer at the possible event than the impossible event, suggesting they understood object permanence.
C) at both events equally, suggesting they understood object permanence.
D) at both events equally, suggesting they did not understand the concept of object permanence.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Baillargeon's findings suggest that infants as young as 4 ½ months old have a basic understanding of object permanence, as evidenced by their increased attention to the impossible event. This indicates that they noticed the violation of their expectations and were surprised by it, suggesting that they had an expectation that the object (the box) should not disappear when the screen blocked it from view. Therefore, Option A is the best choice.

Renee Baillargeon Studied Object Permanence by Showing Infants Possible Events