Which question have researchers investigated to study infants' core knowledge?
Researchers have investigated various questions to study infants' core knowledge, but one prominent question focuses on whether infants possess certain fundamental cognitive abilities that are present at birth. This question is often referred to as the "core knowledge" question in developmental psychology.
To study infants' core knowledge, researchers use different methods such as behavioral experiments and neuroimaging techniques. One common approach is to use habituation and dishabituation paradigms. In these experiments, infants are repeatedly exposed to a particular stimulus until they become habituated to it, meaning their attention to the stimulus decreases. Then, a new or novel stimulus is introduced, and researchers observe whether the infants show renewed interest or dishabituation.
For example, researchers might investigate infants' core knowledge of object permanence, which is the understanding that an object continues to exist even when it is out of sight. They would create a scenario in which an object is hidden from view and observe whether the infants show surprise or renewed attention when the object reappears unexpectedly, suggesting that they have a basic understanding of object permanence.
Additionally, researchers might investigate infants' core knowledge of number, space, causality, and other basic cognitive concepts. By using carefully designed experiments and observation methods, these researchers can gain insights into the early cognitive abilities and core knowledge present in infants.