In a study, researchers placed 6-month-old infants on a "visual cliff" apparatus, a glass-covered table with a shallow side and a deep drop visible beneath the glass. Mothers stood on the deep side and called the infants. Most infants crawled across the shallow side but refused to cross the deep side, even when coaxed. Infants who had recently begun crawling showed the strongest avoidance.
Which monocular cue most strongly informs the infant that the deep side is far below the glass?
- A
Retinal disparity between the two eyes
- Bcheck_circle
Texture gradient (finer texture appears farther)
- C
Stereopsis
- D
Convergence of the eyes
Explanation
Texture gradient is a monocular cue: surfaces with finer, denser texture appear more distant, which on the cliff signals depth even with one eye.