Data collection in the study began at what approximate age?

Data collection in the study began at what approximate age?

• A. 4 to 5 years
• B. 7 to 9 months
• C. 12 to 14 months
• D. 2 to 3 years

Answer: (B)

In developmental research, you start collecting data when the infant has begun to show repeatable, observable behaviors that researchers can reliably code over time. Around 7 to 9 months, infants start to produce meaningful communicative behaviors—such as vocal play and early babbling—and begin showing early social-communication cues like turn-taking and gaze sharing. These behaviors provide clear, trackable data points that reveal how language and social interaction emerge and develop in the first year. Beginning earlier would often yield little to analyze because those specific behaviors haven’t yet appeared, while starting later would miss the crucial window when these foundational skills first appear and begin to unfold. That’s why data collection typically begins around 7 to 9 months. The other ages fall later in development (12–14 months, 2–3 years, 4–5 years) and wouldn’t capture those initial emergence patterns.

In developmental research, you start collecting data when the infant has begun to show repeatable, observable behaviors that researchers can reliably code over time. Around 7 to 9 months, infants start to produce meaningful communicative behaviors—such as vocal play and early babbling—and begin showing early social-communication cues like turn-taking and gaze sharing. These behaviors provide clear, trackable data points that reveal how language and social interaction emerge and develop in the first year. Beginning earlier would often yield little to analyze because those specific behaviors haven’t yet appeared, while starting later would miss the crucial window when these foundational skills first appear and begin to unfold. That’s why data collection typically begins around 7 to 9 months. The other ages fall later in development (12–14 months, 2–3 years, 4–5 years) and wouldn’t capture those initial emergence patterns.