Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Practice Examination

The primary purpose of Eleanor Gibson's Visual Cliff experiment was to test depth perception in infants. The experiment involved the use of a "visual cliff," which created the illusion of a drop-off on one side, allowing researchers to observe whether infants would crawl over the perceived edge. By assessing whether infants would crawl onto the deep side or stay on the shallow side, the researchers aimed to understand how and when depth perception develops in young children. The experiment demonstrated that even infants as young as six months old exhibited an ability to perceive depth, suggesting that depth perception is an important skill that develops early in life.

The other options focus on unrelated psychological concepts. Measuring cognitive skills in children or assessing language acquisition stages does not pertain to depth perception. Additionally, evaluating social interactions among peers does not align with the singular focus of the Visual Cliff experiment. Therefore, the choice regarding depth perception accurately captures the specific objective of Gibson's work.