eighteen-month-old infants to participate in her study. She presented each infant with a visual stimulus consisting of a colored object against a background. The psychologist observed the infants' responses and recorded whether they showed signs of recognizing the object as separate from the background. The psychologist is interested in comparing the development of figure-ground color perception across the different age groups.
To analyze the data and compare the development of figure-ground color perception, the psychologist can use a statistical test such as a chi-square test or a logistic regression analysis. These tests would allow her to determine if there are significant differences in the recognition of the object as separate from the background among the different age groups.
The psychologist would need to organize the data in a contingency table, with the age groups (five months, seven months, nine months, and eighteen months) as the rows and the number of infants showing recognition and non-recognition as separate columns. The contingency table would then be used as input for the statistical analysis.
The chi-square test would assess whether the observed frequencies of recognition/non-recognition differ significantly from what would be expected by chance. This test can provide information on whether there are differences in figure-ground color perception across the age groups.
Alternatively, logistic regression analysis could be used to model the relationship between age (as the independent variable) and the likelihood of recognizing the object as separate from the background (as the dependent variable). This analysis would allow for the estimation of the effect of age on figure-ground color perception while controlling for other potential factors.
By conducting the appropriate statistical analysis, the psychologist can determine if there are significant developmental differences in figure-ground color perception among the different age groups of infants in her study.