In the “sticky mittens” research project, it was found that
A the infants in the mitten group developed grasping skills earlier.
B the infants in the group without mittens developed grasping skills faster.
C the mitten group had better grasping skills, but the group without mittens developed better manipulation skills.
D both groups developed grasping skills at the same pace.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is A: the infants in the mitten group developed grasping skills earlier.
Explanation:
The “sticky mittens” research project was conducted to examine how early experiences with grasping objects affect the development of fine motor skills in infants. The research focused on whether providing infants with mittens that had Velcro or other sticky material would help them develop grasping skills earlier than infants who did not have access to these mittens.
The sticky mittens were designed to assist infants in making successful grasps. Typically, infants do not have strong control over their hand movements in the first few months of life, and their ability to reach and grasp objects is limited. However, the mittens helped create opportunities for infants to experience successful grasps by making objects “stick” to their hands when they touched them, making it easier for them to catch and hold onto items. This allowed the infants in the mitten group to practice grasping and develop the necessary motor coordination earlier than infants in the control group who did not have mittens.
The research found that the infants who wore the sticky mittens were able to develop grasping skills more quickly than those in the group without mittens. This is because the mittens provided them with a higher frequency of successful grasps, thus reinforcing the neural connections and motor skills needed for grasping. These early experiences played a key role in accelerating the development of fine motor control.
In conclusion, the mitten group developed grasping skills earlier, which suggests that early experiences with grasping and manipulation, even facilitated by external tools like sticky mittens, can significantly enhance motor development. The other options (B, C, and D) do not reflect the main finding of this study, which specifically focused on the earlier development of grasping skills in the mitten group.