Question

Sally is about to complete a laboratory task that involves watching the placement of specific numbers of items into a bucket with a false bottom. Some of the items are placed in the false bottom, and some stay in the main part of the bucket for Sally to find. If Sally is a ten-month-old infant, and she sees five items go into the bucket but finds only four items when she reaches in, what is Sally likely to do next? a. She will cry until somebody helps her find the fifth item. b. She will do nothing. She is unable to tell the difference between four items and five items. c. She will keep searching, regardless of the number of items she saw. d. She will keep searching until she finds the fifth item.

Answer 1

Given that Sally is a ten-month-old infant in this scenario, her behavior is likely to align with her cognitive development at that age. The most appropriate response would be:

a. She will cry until somebody helps her find the fifth item.

Step-by-step explanation:

At ten months old, infants may not have developed a full understanding of object permanence or the ability to systematically search for hidden objects. Instead, they often rely on expressing their needs and frustrations through crying, especially when faced with discrepancies like expecting to find five items but only discovering four.