Final answer:
Educational media may impact infants' cognitive development, offering both positive effects such as improved cognitive skills and negative ones like increased aggression. The actual impact depends on various factors including content and individual differences among children. Infancy studies show that cognitive understanding begins early, with research used to inform educational strategies for children with language problems.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question evaluates the claim that educational media enhance infants' cognitive development. Researchers like Baillargeon and colleagues have provided evidence that infants have a grasp of object permanence and the properties of objects earlier than previously thought by Piaget, suggesting that early cognitive abilities are more advanced. Additionally, other studies have shown both positive and negative impacts of media on children's behavior, including exposure to violent content leading to aggression and the use of games to improve cognitive skills, which may have real-world applications. The efficacy and impact of educational media on cognitive development depend on various factors such as content, context, and the individual child.
To answer the specific questions posed in the homework:
- Researchers at the Infancy Studies Laboratory like to study infants for cognitive development typically before they turn 1, as they show signs of understanding as early as 3 months old.
- Establishing a baseline in this type of research is vital to understand the natural progression of cognitive abilities and to discern the impact that interventions like educational media might have.
- Information collected from these studies can lead to the development of tailored interventions and educational strategies, potentially assisting children with language problems by capitalizing on their cognitive abilities at a very young age.