Basic Cognitive Processes: Perception, Learning, Attention, Memory
Psych 414
A. Perception
Visual perception
1. Describe 4 different methods for measuring visual perception in infants.
2. What evidence is there for object constancy in infancy?
3. When can infants segregate objects? What sort of cues contribute to infants’
ability to segregate objects in early infancy?
4. When do infants’ preferences for faces emerge?
5. What are infants’ early facial recognition abilities based on?
Auditory perception
6. How is auditory perception assessed? Identify 2 methods
7. What is categorical speech perception? When does categorical speech perception
emerge? Is categorical speech perception unique to humans?
8. What sounds can infants discriminate at birth and how does this change with
development?
Intermodal perception
9. Define intermodal perception and identify two different theoretical positions on the
how/whether intermodal perception develops.
10. Describe 1 paradigm for measuring intermodal perception.
11. Identify and discuss 2 different types of intermodal perception.
B. Learning
Define the following learning mechanisms and identify how researchers measure them. In
addition, describe the method, results and interpretation of a study that investigated, or
capitalized on, learning processes that are asterisked below.
1. Conditioning (classical and operant*)
2. Habituation*
3. Perceptual learning
4. Statistical learning*
5. Analogical reasoning*
6. Imitation*
C. Memory
1. What is the traditional view of memory development? According to this view,
when does recall develop?
2. How does recognition differ from recall?
3. Describe 3 paradigms to assess memory development in infancy. What have
these paradigms revealed?