In developmental psychology, what role does habituation play in evaluating a baby's sensory capacities?

• A. Habituation assesses a baby's language development by tracking their responses to spoken words.
• B. Habituation is used to measure a baby's ability to detect and respond to changes in sensory stimuli, indicating the functioning of their sensory systems.
• C. Habituation is primarily used to evaluate a baby's motor coordination by observing repetitive movements.
• D. Habituation determines a baby's emotional attachment to caregivers by observing their reactions to familiar faces.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of habituation in developmental psychology. Habituation refers to the process where a baby shows decreased response to a repeated stimulus over time, indicating that the stimulus is no longer novel or attention-grabbing.
2. Step 2: Recognize that habituation is a tool used to assess sensory capacities by measuring how a baby detects and responds to changes in sensory stimuli. If a baby stops responding to a repeated stimulus but then reacts when a new stimulus is introduced, it shows sensory discrimination.
3. Step 3: Differentiate habituation from other developmental assessments. For example, habituation is not primarily used to evaluate language development, motor coordination, or emotional attachment, although these areas may be assessed by other methods.
4. Step 4: Connect habituation to sensory system functioning. The ability to habituate and then dishabituate (respond to a new stimulus) reflects the baby's sensory processing and cognitive recognition of changes in the environment.
5. Step 5: Summarize that habituation provides insight into a baby's sensory capacities by tracking their decreasing attention to repeated stimuli and renewed attention to novel stimuli, which indicates healthy sensory and perceptual development.