Logical Reasoning

PT127 · S1 · Q5 Researchers have found that, hours

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Researchers have found that, hours after birth, infants are able to distinguish faces from other images.

Given that ...

It's only hours after birth

How can it be that ...

Infants can already distinguish faces from other images (f.e. infants stare at face drawings longer than at blank ovals or scrambled-feature drawings)

Goal

Let's look for an answer that explains how infants seem to already know what a "face" is, despite the fact that they've only been alive a few hours (seemingly too soon to have learned anything).

It's likely going to have to say that we have some knowledge of faces already "baked-in" to our mental software.

5.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the ability of newborn infants described above?

  1. Correct

    Certain abilities of facial pattern

    Why this is right

    This explains how babies could already recognize faces, from the day they're born. If facial pattern recognition is innate, then newborns are born already able to distinguish faces; no learning required.

    Skill tested: Paradox · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    82% picked this

  2. The longer an infant stares

    Restates

    We might try to use this answer to say that "babies have been staring at faces longer than other objects, so they find faces more interesting". This sort of cheats the idea that they've only been alive for a few hours. Have they been looking at faces longer than other objects? They've seen faces just as much as they've seen other parts of the hospital delivery room. It's too far-fetched to say that in the few hours they've been alive, they've already developed a preference for faces. We know they stare longer at drawing of faces, but this answer doesn't tell us what causes that. It just tells us an effect of that.

    3% picked this

  3. Infants learn to associate human

    Bad Match

    "Learn to associate" implies a process that takes time. The infants in the study are only hours old; they have not had time to learn associations between faces and comfort or nourishment. So while learned associations might explain a six-month-old's preference, they cannot explain a newborn's.

    10% picked this

  4. The less an infant stares

    Restates

    Similar to (B), this doesn't tell us WHY infants stare longer at faces and less at other objects. It just tells us what happens next. We're trying to figure out how babies come out of the womb, already interested in faces more than other things.

    2% picked this

  5. Infants learn to associate the

    Bad Match

    Like Choice C, this requires learning. Newborns hours after birth have not had time to learn to associate voices with faces. And in the example of drawings, there's no voice attached. They like the oval shape with non-scrambled facial features.

    2% picked this

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