A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

What extraneous variable might have affected the infants' behavior in the Gibson and Walk study?

1. The age of the infants

2. Lighting conditions in the room

3. Verbal cues from their mothers

4. Number of trials conducted

The correct answer is: Verbal cues from their mothers

In the Gibson and Walk study, also known as the visual cliff experiment, the researchers aimed to investigate depth perception in infants. One extraneous variable that could have significantly influenced the behavior of the infants is the presence of verbal cues from their mothers. Infants often look to their caregivers for signals and reassurance, particularly in unfamiliar situations, such as standing at the edge of a visual cliff. If mothers expressed cues in their tone of voice or body language—whether encouraging or discouraging—it could potentially affect how infants perceived the depth and their willingness to cross the "cliff." Considering other factors, the age of the infants could certainly be a vital variable influencing their depth perception abilities, but it is more of a main variable in the context of the study rather than an extraneous one. Similarly, while lighting conditions can affect visibility, it's typically controlled in experimental settings to ensure consistency. The number of trials conducted might influence learning or acclimatization, but it doesn't directly relate as an extraneous variable affecting immediate behavior during the test. Hence, the potential for maternal cues to sway an infant's response makes it a pertinent extraneous variable in this study.