Age and individual differences in infants' learning abilities.
To assess age and individual differences in infants' learning abilities the method of conditioned head turning toward the source of milk was applied to 20 infants at two different age periods - one month and four months. The results indicate that with increasing age the conditioned reflex is established more speedily in the first six months of life with a corresponding shortening of the mean latency. Extinction, however, occurs more speedily in one-month-old infants than in four-month-old infants. There are no differences in the mean latency of positive reaction during extinction and establishment of the conditioned reflex in both age categories. Considerable individual differences were ascertained in the rate of establishment and extinction of the conditioned reflex. Differences in the rate of extinction of the conditioned reaction appeared to be relatively stable.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008892:Milk; D011930:Reaction Time; D013016:Sound