Fear Of Heights In Infants Summary

The article “Fear of Heights in Infants?” describes the initial fear of heights in infants, whether certain age groups of infants are afraid, the experiments undergoes, and so much more. Firstly, we can believe that infants are afraid of heights at first thought. Tested by two researchers, E.J. Gibson and Walk (1960’s), they had reported that infants would attempt to crawl over “visual cliffs”, or illusionary drop-offs, rather than crawling to an unsupported drop-off.
When testing this experiment, researchers placed the babies on illusionary-cliffs (“visual cliffs”), and real cliffs weren’t used simply because it proposed a threat to the infants if they fell off, and the researchers would be responsible for the infant’s injuries. “A visual cliff is a paradigm used in developmental psychology, the checkerboard-patterned infinite abyss.”
Over time, researchers have added and expanded Gibson & Walk’s initial findings, introducing several warnings regarding the role of locomotive experience. Infants would require several weeks of locomotor experience before beginning to avoid the deeper side,
Yes, I believe that we can. So, in my own opinion, I believe infants are not afraid of heights at birth; however, over time they may become afraid of heights due to many altered conditions. Whether these conditions be exposure, negative thoughts about heights, personal experience, or anything else that could develop this fear. As said in the article, experienced walkers would attempt a 13cm fall, and novice ones wouldn’t. Can we assume that the experienced walkers had once been afraid of heights? Yes, we can. These experienced walkers had overcome the fear of heights, by locomotive experience. Once these infants had been put through several experiments with visual cliffs, drop-offs, etc. they start to dissolve this fear. Then the novice walker, turns into the experienced walker who no longer fears