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CHAPTER 6
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN INFANCY

CONTENTS
Learning Objectives 107
Key Terms and Concepts 108
Chapter Outline/Lecture Notes 108
I. Piaget’s Approach to Cognitive Development 108
II. Information-Processing Approaches to Cognitive Development 110
III. The Roots of Language 112
Lecture Suggestions and Discussion Topics 115
Class Activities, Demonstrations, and Exercises 118
Out-of-Class Assignments and Projects 119
Supplemental Reading List 119
Multimedia Ideas/Video Resources 120
Handouts 122

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading Chapter 6, students will be able to answer these questions:

PIAGET’S APPROACH TO COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT


LO1 How would you describe the fundamental features of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?
LO2 What advances in cognitive development occur during the sensorimotor stage?
LO3 How would you compare Piaget’s theory with later research?

INFORMATION-PROCESSING APPROACHES TO COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT


LO4 How do infants process information?
LO5 How would you describe infants’ memory capabilities and the duration of memories?
LO6 How would you explain and measure intelligence among infants?

THE ROOTS OF LANGUAGE


LO7 What processes underlie children’s growth in language development?
LO8 What characterizes the different theories of language development?
LO9 How do children influence adults’ language?

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KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS
scheme (p. 145) language (p. 158)
assimilation (p. 146) babbling (p. 159)
accommodation (p. 146) holophrases (p. 161)
sensorimotor stage (of cognitive telegraphic speech (p. 162)
development) (p. 146) underextension (p. 162)
goal-directed behavior (p. 148) overextension (p. 162)
object permanence (p. 148) referential style (p. 162)
mental representation (p. 149) expressive style (p. 162)
deferred imitation (p. 149) learning theory approach (p. 162)
information-processing approaches (p. 151) nativist approach (p. 163)
memory (p. 153) universal grammar (p. 163)
infantile amnesia (p. 154) language-acquisition device (LAD) (p. 163)
developmental quotient (p. 156) infant-directed speech (p. 164)
Bayley Scales of Infant Development (p. 156)

CHAPTER OUTLINE/LECTURE NOTES


I. Piaget’s Approach to Cognitive Development
A. Knowledge is the product of direct motor behavior in infants.
B. Key Elements of Piaget’s Theory
1. All children pass through a series of universal stages in a fixed order.
a) Sensorimotor
b) Preoperational
c) Concrete operational
d) Formal operational
2. Both quantity and quality of knowledge increase.
3. Focus is on change in understanding that occurs as child moves through stages.
4. Development through stages occurs with physical maturation and experience with
environment.
5. Children understand the world by developing organized patterns of sensorimotor
functioning referred to as schemes that adapt and change with mental development.
6. Two principles underlie children’s understanding of the world:
a) Assimilation is when people understand an experience in terms of their
current stage of cognitive development and way of thinking.
b) Accommodation is a change in existing ways of thinking that occurs in
response to encounters with new stimuli or events.
7. According to Piaget, all children pass gradually through the four major stages of
cognitive development and various substages when they are at an appropriate level of
maturation and are exposed to relevant types of experiences.
a) In the Piagetian view, children’s understanding grows through assimilation
of their experiences into their current way of thinking or through
accommodation of their current way of thinking to their experiences.
b) By the end of the sixth substage of the sensorimotor period, infants are
beginning to engage in symbolic thought.

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C. The Sensorimotor Period: Six Substages of Cognitive Development
1. The sensorimotor stage (birth until 2) is comprised of six substages.
2. Substage 1: Simple Reflexes
a) First month
b) Various reflexes determine the infant’s interaction with the world.
3. Substage 2: First Habits and Primary Circular Reactions
a) 1–4 months
b) Coordination of actions
c) Primary circular reactions are the infant’s repeating of interesting or
enjoyable actions on his or her body.
d) A circular reaction permits the construction of cognitive schemes through
the repetition of a motor event.
4. Substage 3: Secondary Circular Reactions
a) 4–8 months
b) Begins to act on world (e.g., shakes a rattle)
c) Secondary circular reactions are repeated actions meant to bring about a
desirable consequence on the outside world.
d) Vocalization increases and imitation begins.
5. Substage 4: Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions
a) 8–12 months
b) Employs goal-directed behavior where several schemes are combined and
coordinated to generate a single act to solve a problem.
c) Can anticipate upcoming event
d) Development of object permanence, the realization that people and objects
exist even when they cannot be seen.
6. Substage 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions
a) 12–18 months
b) Tertiary circular reactions are the deliberate variation of actions to bring
desirable consequences.
7. Substage 6: Beginnings of Thought
a) 18–24 months
b) Capacity for mental representation, an internal image of a past event or
object, or symbolic thought
(1) Permits child to understand causality
(2) Child gains ability to pretend and deferred imitation, in which a
person who is no longer present is imitated later after children have
witnessed such scenes.
D. Appraising Piaget: Support and Challenges
1. Most developmentalists agree that Piaget’s descriptions of how cognitive
development proceeds during infancy are accurate.
2. Piaget was a master observer and studies show that children do learn about the world
by acting on objects in their environment.
3. However, specific aspects of Piaget’s theory have been criticized.
a) Some developmentalists question the stage concept, thinking development is
more continuous.
b) Developmental researcher Robert Siegler suggests that cognitive
development proceeds not in stages, but in “waves,” ebbing and flowing of
cognitive approaches that children use.

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4. Piaget’s notion that development is grounded in activity ignores the importance of
infants’ sensory and perceptual abilities.
5. Recent work shows object permanence may occur as early as 3½ months.
6. Imitation may occur earlier than Piaget suggested.
7. Some development is universal, and some appears to be subject to cultural
variations.
8. Piaget’s influence has been enormous, and he remains a towering influence and
pioneer in the field of child development.

II. Information-Processing Approaches to Cognitive Development


A. Information-processing approaches seek to identify the way that individuals take in, use,
and store information.
B. Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval: The Foundations of Information Processing
1. The three basic aspects of information processing are encoding, storage, and
retrieval.
a) Encoding is the process by which information is initially recorded in a
usable format.
b) Storage refers to the maintenance of material saved in memory.
c) Retrieval is the process by which information stored in memory is located,
brought into awareness, and used.
d) Automatization
(1) Automatization is the degree to which an activity requires attention.
(a) Encoding, storage, and retrieval may become automatic.
(b) Automatic processes require little, if any, attention.
(c) Helps prime children to process information in certain ways.
(d) Provides benefit of efficient processing, allowing for
concentration on other mental problems.
(e) Automatization can backfire in certain situations that
actually require controlled processing.
(2) Without being aware of it, infants and children develop an
understanding of concepts, categorization of objects, events, or
people that share common properties.
(3) Infants have rudimentary mathematical skills that enable them to
understand whether or not a quantity is accurate.
(a) The existence of basic mathematical skills in infants has
been supported by findings that nonhumans are born with
some basic numeric proficiency.
(b) Children demonstrate an understanding of such basic
physics as movement trajectories and gravity.
C. Memory During Infancy: They Must Remember This . . .
1. Memory Capabilities in Infancy
a) Memory is the process by which information is initially encoded, stored,
and retrieved.
b) The ability to habituate to stimuli implies the presence of memory.
2. The Duration of Memories
a) Infant’s memories improve with age, and are influenced by environmental
“cues.”

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b) Research suggests that memory during infancy is dependent upon the
hippocampus and that at a later age involves additional structures of the
brain.
c) Early research supported the notion of infantile amnesia, the lack of
memory for experiences that occurred prior to three years of age.
(1) Although memories are stored from early infancy, they cannot be
easily retrieved.
(2) Early memories are susceptible to interference from later events.
(3) Recall of memories is sensitive to environmental context.
(4) The question of how well memories formed during infancy are
retained in adulthood remains not fully answered, but research
suggests that it is possible for memories to remain intact from a very
young age, if subsequent information does not interfere with them.
(5) Infants have memory capabilities from their earliest days, although
the accuracy of infant memories is a matter of debate.
3. The Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory
a) Studies of the neurological basis of memory that come from advances in
brain scan technology, as well as studies of adults with brain damage,
suggest that there are two separate systems involved with long-term memory.
(1) Explicit memory is memory that is conscious and can be recalled
intentionally.
(2) Implicit memory is memory that is recalled unconsciously, and
consists mainly of motor skills, habits, and activities that can be
remembered without conscious cognitive effort.
D. Individual Differences in Intelligence: Is One Infant Smarter Than Another?
1. What Is Infant Intelligence?
a) Infant intelligence, like adult intelligence, is difficult to define.
b) Traditional measures of infant intelligence, such as Gesell’s developmental
quotient and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, focus on average
behavior observed at particular ages in large numbers of children.
2. Developmental Scales
a) Arnold Gesell formulated the developmental quotient (DQ), an overall
developmental score that relates to performance in four domains and is the
earliest measure of infant development based on hundreds of babies.
b) It compared their performance at different ages to learn what behaviors were
common to a certain age.
(1) Motor skills
(2) Language use
(3) Adaptive behavior
(4) Personal-social behavior
c) Bayley Scales of Infant Development are a measure that evaluates an
infant’s development from 2 to 42 months.
(1) Mental scale
(a) Senses
(b) Perception
(c) Memory
(d) Learning
(e) Problem solving
(f) Language

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(2) Motor scale
(a) Gross-motor skills
(b) Fine-motor skills
d) These normative scales are useful in identifying infants who are significantly
ahead or behind their peers.
(1) Infants who are behind their peers need immediate special attention.
(2) Tests might be administered if a parent or physician believes that an
infant is suffering from developmental delays and to assess the
significance of such delays so that early intervention programs can
be put into place if needed.
e) They are not good at predicting future behavior.
3. Information-Processing Approaches to Individual Differences in Intelligence
a) Contemporary approaches to infant intelligence, information-processing
approaches, suggest that the speed with which infants process information
correlates most strongly with later intelligence as measured by IQ tests
administered during adulthood.
(1) Visual-recognition memory is a measure of memory and recognition
of a stimulus that has been previously seen.
(2) Cross-modal transference is the ability to identify a stimulus that
has previously only been experienced through one sense using
another sense.
b) These measures correlate moderately well with later measures of intelligence
based in IQ scores, but the correlation is only moderate in strength.
4. Assessing Information-Processing Approaches
a) Information-processing approaches to assessing intelligence rely on
variations in the speed and quality with which infants process information.
b) Information-processing approaches to the study of cognitive development
seek to learn how individuals receive, organize, store, and retrieve
information.
(1) Such approaches differ from Piaget’s by considering quantitative
changes in children’s abilities to process information.
E. From Research to Practice: Do Educational Media for Infants Enhance Their Cognitive
Development?: Taking the Einstein Out of Baby Einstein
1. What would Piaget have said about such educational tools for this age group?
2. Is this another example of a digital divide between parents who can afford such tools
and those who cannot?
3. Is Baby Einstein an example of good advertising? Research does not offer any proof
that this type of educational tool does anything to increase a child’s intelligence.
a) Patricia Kuhl offers that infants do not learn language from rote repetition,
such as that on a recording.
b) Infants need to hear the human voice and the way sounds resonate to acquire
the sensitivity to the sounds of their own native language.

III. The Roots of Language


A. The Fundamentals of Language: From Sounds to Symbols
1. Language is the systematic, meaningful arrangement of symbols, and provides the
basis for communication.
a) Language is closely tied to the way infants think and how they understand
the world.

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b) Several formal characteristics of a language must be mastered as linguistic
competence develops.
(1) Phonology: basic units of sound in a language
(2) Morphemes: smallest language unit conveying meaning
(3) Semantics: rules for the meanings of words and sentences
c) Linguistic comprehension is the understanding of speech.
d) Linguistic production is the use of language to communicate.
e) Comprehension precedes production.
2. Early Sounds and Communication
a) Infants show prelinguistic communication through sounds, facial
expressions, gestures, imitations, and other non-linguistic means.
(1) Babbling is when infants make speech-like but meaningless sounds
at about 2–3 months continuing to about 1 year.
(a) Babbling is a universal phenomenon.
(b) Even deaf infants exposed to sign language babble with their
hands.
(c) Babbling begins with easy sounds (ee) and proceeds to more
complex sounds (bee).
(d) By age 6 months, babbling differs according to the language
to which the infant is exposed.
(e) Infants communicate with their parents through babbling.
3. First Words
a) First words are generally spoken between 10–14 months.
b) First words are typically holophrases, one-word utterances that depend on
the particular context in which they are used to determine meaning.
c) By 15 months, the average child has a vocabulary of 10 words.
d) A vocabulary spurt occurs between 16 and 24 months when a child’s
vocabulary increases from 50 to 400 words.
e) Two-word phrases begin to emerge approximately 8 to 12 months after the
first word is spoken.
(1) Important because it not only provides labels for things, but
indicates the relations between them
4. First Sentences
a) By 18 months, infants are linking words in sentences using telegraphic
speech where words not critical to the message are left out.
b) Underextension, using words too restrictively, is common.
c) Overextension, using words too broadly, is very common.
d) A referential style is when language is used primarily to label objects.
e) An expressive style is when language is used primarily to express feelings
and needs.
B. The Origins of Language Development
1. Linguists are divided on how to explain the origins of language.
2. Learning Theory Approaches: Language as a Learned Skill
a) According to the learning theory approach, language acquisition follows
the basic laws of reinforcement and conditioning.
3. Nativist Approaches: Language as an Innate Skill
a) The nativist approach, championed by the linguist Noam Chomsky, argues
that there is a genetically determined mechanism that directs the
development of language.

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(1) The learning theory approach to language acquisition assumes that
adults and children use basic behavioral processes—such as
conditioning, reinforcement, and shaping—in language learning.
(2) A different approach proposed by Chomsky holds that humans are
genetically endowed with a language-acquisition device, which
permits them to detect and use the principles of universal grammar
that underlie all languages.
b) Chomsky suggests that all the world’s languages share a similar underlying
structure, called universal grammar.
c) In this view, the human brain is wired with a neural system called the
language-acquisition device (LAD), which permits the understanding of
language structure and provides a set of strategies and techniques for
learning particular characteristics of language.
4. The Interactionist Approaches
a) The interactionist perspective argues that language development is produced
through a combination of genetically determined predispositions and
environmental events.
C. From Research to Practice: Infants Learn from Adults, not Videos
1. Children learn vocabulary words best in an interactive setting where adults are
responding to the sounds the infant is making and when they initiate the learning.
D. Speaking to Children: The Language of Infant-Directed Speech
1. Infant-Directed Speech
a) Adult language is influenced by the children to whom it is addressed.
b) Infant-directed speech takes on characteristics, surprisingly invariant
across cultures, that makes it appealing to infants and probably encourage
language development.
c) Pitch of voice becomes higher
d) Intonation may be more varied or singsong
e) Frequent repetition of words
f) Restricted topics
g) Typically only used during first year
h) Infants seem more receptive to infant-directed speech than regular speech.
E. Developmental Diversity: Is Infant-Directed Speech Similar in All Cultures?
1. Infant-directed speech is used across a variety of cultures.
2. Use of infant-directed speech is related to the early appearance of words
F. Are You An Informed Consumer of Development?: What Can You Do to Promote Infants’
Cognitive Development?
1. There is no scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of programs to increase a
child’s intelligence.
2. Certain things can be done to promote cognitive development in infants.
a) Provide infants the opportunity to explore the world.
b) Be responsive to infants on both a verbal and a nonverbal level.
c) Read to your infants.
d) Keep in mind that you don’t have to be with an infant 24 hours a day.
e) Don’t push infants and don’t expect too much too soon.

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LECTURE SUGGESTIONS AND DISCUSSION TOPICS
 Malnutrition, Poverty, and Intellectual Development. Whereas poverty and malnutrition are
pervasive in developing countries, it is surprising how many infants’ diets are significantly
inadequate in the United States. According to J. Larry Brown and Ernesto Pollitt, it is estimated
that over 12 million American children suffer the effects of inadequate diets. According to
Brown and Pollitt, whereas experts have known for a long time that inadequate protein and
vitamins affected intellectual development, newer research shows that adequate nutrition alone
cannot fully compensate for the lack of cognitive development. The following summarizes these
effects:

(Old Theory) from conception to age 2, the brain grows to 80 percent of its adult size.
Malnutrition during this crucial period can interfere with neural growth and result in
severe and long-lasting damage.

(New Theory) malnutrition disrupts normal cognitive development in multiple and


interacting ways: malnourished children suffer from more illnesses and become more
lethargic and withdrawn and thus are less apt to explore their environment.

Consequently, their physical development is stunted when motor development is


delayed, leading to lowered expectations from adults, which further slows intellectual
development. Finally, when poverty accompanies the malnutrition, lack of education
and resources further exacerbates the children’s delayed intellectual development.

Thus, according to Brown and Pollitt, intervention needs to be addressed on multiple levels:
improved nutrition, education, job programs, and early childhood medical care.

Source:
Brown, J. L. & Pollitt, E. (1996, February). Malnutrition, poverty, and intellectual development.
Scientific American, 38–43.

 The Language Acquisition Debate. Do we learn to talk by hearing others talk and imitating
them? Or are our brains “hardwired,” predisposing us to learn whatever language we hear
spoken? These questions reflect the hypotheses of the two major theories of how children acquire
language: the learning (nurture) perspective (Skinner, Bandura, and others) and the nativist
(nature) perspective (Chomsky).

The learning perspective stresses that language is acquired through imitation of adults (Bandura)
and through reinforcement of correct language usage (Skinner). Evidence for this perspective
comes from observations that children only learn the language they hear spoken around them.
Furthermore, research on deaf children and special cases (like Genie who was never spoken to or
allowed to speak) shows that without special training these children never learn to speak. In fact,
children even learn the “accent” of the region in which they live (e.g., southern, Bostonian, etc.),
which seems to support the idea that imitation plays a role in language acquisition. It is also
obvious that vocabulary increases with imitation and reinforcement. (Just think of how easily
children learn songs on TV or to repeat swear words!) Unfortunately, there is little evidence that
parents or other adults reinforce correct grammar. For example, when a young child says “Me
cookie” or “I ranned to the house,” parents know just what the child means and do not correct the
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grammar.

Thus, the learning perspective does not account for how children learn syntax, the structure and
rules of language. Nor does it explain why, the world over, children’s language acquisition
progresses in similar patterns from babbling to holophrases to telegraphic speech to over- and
under-generalizations.

The nativist perspective (Chomsky) hypothesizes that human brains have a language-acquisition
device (LAD) that allows children to develop an implicit theory of language and to understand the
meaning of what they hear. In addition, the nativist approach purports a “critical or sensitive
period” during which language must be learned (see Lenneberg and Sacks books in Supplemental
Reading List). Several lines of evidence support Chomsky’s views. First, despite years of trying
to teach chimpanzees to speak, it appears that only humans show the ability to acquire syntax
without formal training. Second, humans have special regions in the left hemisphere of the brain
which are necessary for language. Broca’s Area controls language production, and Wernicke’s
Area is responsible for interpreting language. If either of these is damaged, language is impaired.
Additionally, recovery from brain injury is less complete after puberty, supporting the sensitive
period hypothesis. Second languages are learned without an accent in most cases only before
puberty, which also supports the sensitive period hypothesis.

Several limitations of the nativist approach include the following: no universal grammar has been
found to exist; complete mastery of grammar continues throughout life, which argues against a
sensitive period; and finally, Chomsky’s theory does not account for how children learn to sustain
meaningful conversations or how cognitive ability is related to language acquisition.

The interactionist perspective replaces the learning/nativist debate with a view that combines
biology, cognition, and social experience; in other words, “a native capacity, a strong desire to
interact with others, and a rich linguistic and social environment combine to assist children in
discovering the functions and regularities of language.” (Berk, p. 357).

Sources:
Chomsky, N. (1959). A review of B. F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior. Language, 35, 26–129.

Begley, S. (1996, February 19). Your child’s brain. Newsweek. 55–62.

Berk, L. (1994). Child development (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Pines, M. (1981, September). The civilizing of Genie. Psychology Today. 28–32.

Skinner, B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. East Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

 Infantile Amnesia. Piaget told the story of his earliest memory—of being nearly kidnapped when
he was 2 years old. He could recall sitting in his carriage watching his nurse protect him from a
kidnapper. He recalled her getting scratched on the face. He even remembered the policeman
wearing a short coat and carrying a white stick chasing the kidnapper away. When Piaget was 15,
his old nurse wrote to his parents and confessed that she had made up the whole story. Thus, it
seems that early memories are tricky. In fact, most psychologists believe that early memories are
hazy or nonexistent before the age of 3.

This phenomenon is called infantile amnesia. Many people claim they can recall events from

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before 3, however, experts believe, like Piaget, that their “memories” are reconstructions based on
family photos, stories, dreams, and their imaginations. Why can’t we remember early events from
infancy when we obviously have memories for names, faces, and procedures from those times?
Freud believed that children do not recall early memories because these memories are traumatic as
children are repressing sexual and aggressive urges.

Another theory is that the area of the brain where events are stored, the hippocampus, is not well
developed in infancy. This theory is supported by studies of infants’ sleeping. Newborns spend
over 8 hours a day in REM sleep. This cycle is different than in adults—the sleep cycles occur in
50 to 60 minute periods and begin with REM sleep (rather than slow wave sleep, as in adults). By
the age of 2, infants spend only 3 hours a day in REM sleep. A leading theory of why infants
need so much REM sleep is that it stimulates nerve growth in the hippocampus. By the age of 2,
memories can begin to be integrated in meaningful ways (and thus be recalled).

Cognitive developmentalists further believe that since language is required to store and retrieve
memories, infants, with only emerging language skills, cannot yet form the conceptual categories,
or schemas, necessary to organize and retrieve memories. Finally, some developmental
psychologists believe that a sense of self is crucial for storing and recalling memories about one’s
experiences. Research indicates that a sense of self does not emerge until the second year of life.

Sources:
Winson, J. (1997). The meaning of dreams. Mysteries of the Mind [Special issue of Scientific
American], 58–67.

Nelson, K. (1992). Emergence of autobiographical memory at age 4. Human Development, 35,


172–177.

Howe, M. L. & Courage, M. L. (1993). On resolving the enigma of infantile amnesia.


Psychological Bulletin, 113, 305–326.

 Case Study: The Case of . . . The Deedio Mystery


Suggested Answers to Case Study Questions:

1. How would you explain to Karen the cognitive advance that was likely occurring in Lisa as
she began using “Mammia,” “Daddio,” “Meemia,” and “Deedio,” even though, initially, these
were one-word utterances?
Lisa is clearly moving from simple single word utterances to the holophrases where one-
word utterances stand for a whole phrase. Culture can certainly affect these first utterances. For
example, North American English-speaking infants usually utter nouns first; whereas Chinese
Mandarin-speaking infants use more verbs than nouns.

2. Do you think Lisa’s initial use of “Meemia” and “Daddio” could be considered telegraphic
speech? Why or Why not?
Telegraphic speech is defined as speech in which words not critical to the message are
left out. Although a little early in development, Lisa’s use of “Meemia” and “Daddio” are
examples of this.

3. How might Karen have gone about investigating Lisa’s meaning for words like “Mammia”
and “Deedio” before the baby began using two-word sentences?

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Perhaps if Karen had paid closer attention to what Lisa was doing and who she was with
when she said these words, Karen would have made the connection sooner.

4. Do you think infants ever utter nonsense words, or does each word have a concrete meaning
to the baby? Explain your responses in terms of what we know about infant language
acquisition.
As babies are attempting to one-word holophrases, their utterances may not sound like
words to others; however they are attempts. Babies also seem to enjoy the sound of their own
voices especially when a parent or caregiver is responding back.

5. How can a parent influence an infant’s language development? In what ways is the parent’s
influence limited?
Clearly talking directly with the infant has a tremendous influence on language
development. However, the child’s brain develops on its own unique time.

CLASS ACTIVITIES, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EXERCISES


 Parental Competition for the Smartest Infant. Divide students into small groups and have
them debate the pros and cons of educational tools, such as Baby Einstein. Give them about 10
minutes to do this, then ask them if they think a sort of parental competition to have the smartest
baby is a factor influencing the purchase of this type of tool. This in spite of the fact that there is
not any scientific research that suggests these tools work.

 Bayley’s Scales of Infant Development. If you can get a copy of the current Bayley Scales of
Infant Development-II and one or two infants (preferably a young infant and an older infant), you
can show your class how infants’ intelligence is measured. Have the class take notes and write up
their reaction to the demonstration.

Sources:
Bayley, N. (1969). Manual for the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. New York, NY:
Psychological Corp.
Bayley, N. (1970). Development of mental abilities. In P. H. Mussen (Ed.), Manual of Child
Psychology (3rd ed., Vol. 1). New York, NY: Wiley.

 Assimilation and Accommodation. Students often have a difficult time understanding Piaget’s
terms assimilation and accommodation. To help them gain an understanding of these terms,
divide your class into groups and have them think of examples of assimilation and
accommodation in an infant’s development. Then have the groups make a list of examples of
these concepts at work in their own adult lives. Use Handout 6–2 for this exercise. Have
representatives from each group present their examples to the whole class. You can list their
examples on the board or on an overhead.

 My Virtual Child. Have students break into small groups and discuss the following questions:
Describe and give examples of changes in your child’s exploratory or problem solving behavior
from 8 through 18 months and categorize them according to Piagetian and information processing
theories. Note that 8 months is included, so you'll need to use the time line to look back at 8
months for examples.

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Analyze your baby’s temperament in more detail at 18 months than you did at 8 months. How
would you describe your baby in terms of the five aspects of temperament utilized by the Virtual
Child program (activity, sociability, emotionality, aggressiveness vs. cooperativeness, and self-
control)? Has “child’s name” temperament been stable over the first 18 months? A blurb
defining and providing examples of the five aspects of temperament is provided at 12 months, but
you should seek out further explanations of temperament from your textbook. Explain how the
concept of goodness of fit (also discussed in the blurb on infant temperament) applies to your
interactions with your child.

Were you surprised by anything in the developmental assessment at 19 months? That is, does
your perception of your child’s physical, cognitive, language and social development differ from
that of the developmental examiner? Give specific examples. If you were not surprised, write
instead about some aspects of your child’s development that need the most work.

OUT-OF-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND PROJECTS


 My Virtual Child Journal—Assignment 2–19 months.
1. Describe examples of changes in your child’s exploratory or problem-solving behavior from 8
through 18 months and categorize them according to Piagetian and information-processing
theories. Note that 8 months is included, so you’ll need to use the time line to look back at 8
months for examples.

2. Analyze your baby’s temperament in more detail at 19 months than you did at 8 months. How
would you describe your baby in terms of the five aspects of temperament utilized by the Virtual
Child program (activity, sociability, emotionality, aggressiveness vs. cooperativeness, and self-
control)? Has your child’s temperament been stable over the first 18 months? A statement
defining and providing examples of the five aspects of temperament is provided at 12 months, but
you should seek out further explanations of temperament from your textbook. Explain how the
concept of goodness-of-fit applies to your interactions with your child.

3. Were you surprised by anything in the developmental assessment at 19 months? That is, does
your perception of your child’s physical, cognitive, language, and emotional development differ
from that of the developmental examiner? Give specific examples. If you were not surprised,
write instead about some aspects of your child’s behavior that need the most work.

 Object Permanence. Using Handout 6–1, have students perform Piaget’s object permanence
exercises with two or more infants of varying ages. Students should share their findings with the
class.

SUPPLEMENTAL READING LIST

Dixon, W. E. (2003). Twenty studies that revolutionized child psychology. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall.

Eisenberger, N. I. & Lieberan, M. D. (2000). Why it hurts to be left out: The neurocognitive

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overlap between physical and social pain. Retrieved from
www.sydneysymposium.unsw.edu.au/ 2004/Papers/Outcast-Eisenberger.doc

Elkind, D. (1994). Ties that stress: The new family imbalance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.

Fadiman, J., & Frager, R. (2002). Personality: Personal growth, 4th ed. New York, NY:
HarperCollins College Publishers.

Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development.


Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Goleman, D. (2003). Destructive emotions: How can we overcome them? New York, NY:
Bantam Dell.

Hall, G. C. N. & Barongan, C. (2002). Multicultural psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.

Healy, J. M. (1994). Your child’s growing mind: A practical guide to brain development and
learning from birth to adolescence. New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday.

Heim, C., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2001). The role of childhood trauma in the neurobiology of mood
and anxiety disorders: Preclinical and clinical studies. Biological Psychiatry, 49, 1023–
1039.

Huizink, A. (2004). Prenatal stress and risk for psychopathology: Specific effects or induction of
general susceptibility? Psychological Bulletin, 130(1), 115–142.

Kaufman, G. (1992). Shame: The power of caring, 3rd ed. Rochester, VT: Schenkman Books, Inc.

Kilbourne, J. (1999). Deadly persuasion: Why women and girls must fight the addictive power of
advertising. New York, NY: The Free Press.

Lucas, L. R., Celen, Z., Tamashiro, K. L. K., Blanchard, R. J., Blanchard, D. C., Markham, C.,
Sakai, R. R., & McEwen, B. S. (2004). Repeated exposure to social stress has long-term
effects on indirect markers of dopaminergic activity in brain regions associated with
motivated behavior. Neuroscience, 124(2), 449–458.

Matsumoto, D. & Juang, L. (2004). Culture and psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomas
Learning.

MULTIMEDIA IDEAS/VIDEO RESOURCES

Baby Einstein Animals (2 minutes)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZxI4uJJ-rU

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Baby Einstein African Animals (4 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWtlzSFNrr0&NR=1

Birth of Language (Insight Media, 1987, 60 minutes)


A video about how language develops.

Cognitive Development (Concept Media, 25 minutes)


A video about Piaget’s theory of infant cognitive development.

Gross Motor Skills: (4 minutes)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTZrr499iyU

The Infant’s Brain Development and Language


http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/episode2/index.html

Infant and Child Development (Insight Media, 2001)


Examines how a newborn acquires the skills to interact with the surrounding world, and
focuses on Piaget’s stage theory of cognitive development.

The Infant Mind (Insight Media, 1992, 30 minutes)


Introduces Piaget’s theory about cognitive development in infants.

Language Development (Insight Media, 1996, 40 minutes)


In-depth look at the development of language in babies and young children.

Language Development (Concept Media, 22 minutes)


Portrays the stages and sequence of language development.

Language and Mind (Insight Media, 1998, 55 minutes)


Highlights Chomsky’s work in the area of language and mind and investigates the
development of his theory of generative grammar.

Language and Thinking (Insight Media, 1992, 30 minutes)


A video on language acquisition.

Out of the Mouths of Babes: The Acquisition of Language (Filmmakers Library, 28 minutes)
A video on how language develops.

Symbol Formation and the Acquisition of Language (Worlds of Children Series, University of
Nebraska, 30 minutes)
A video that explores how humans learn to use a symbolic system, such as language, to
communicate.

Unlocking Language (Insight Media, 1998, 29 minutes)


Commentary of an evolutionary linguist, a neurologist, a geneticist, a neuropsychologist,
a developmental cognitive neuroscientist, and a professor of communication on the birth,
development, and transmission of language. Also details the parts of the brain involved
in language and the relationship between genes and language disorders.
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HANDOUTS

Handout 6-1
Use this handout for an exercise on object permanence.

Handout 6-2
This handout can be used as an exercise to distinguish the terms assimilation and accommodation.

Handout 6-3
Use this handout as a Reflective Journal Exercise.

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HANDOUT 6–1

Object Permanence Exercise

Observe two or more infants (6 months to 2 years). In a familiar setting for the infant, give the infant one
of his or her favorite toys. Record the infant’s reactions.

Infant #1 sex ___ age ___

1. While the infant is watching, partially hide toy.

2. While the infant is watching, completely hide toy.

3. With the infant watching, hide the toy under a cloth and then move the toy to another place that the
infant can see.

4 With the infant watching, hide the toy under a cloth. Move the toy to another hiding place, and then
move the toy once again to a third hiding place. All hiding places should be in the view of the
infant.

Infant #2 sex ___ age ___

1. While the infant is watching, partially hide toy.

2. While the infant is watching, completely hide toy.

3. With the infant watching, hide the toy under a cloth and then move the toy to another place that the
infant can see.

4. With the infant watching, hide the toy under a cloth. Move the toy to another hiding place, and then
move the toy once again to a third hiding place. All hiding places should be in view of the infant.

On the back of this sheet, compare your findings with Piaget’s theory of object permanence.

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HANDOUT 6–2

Assimilation and Accommodation

Define the concept of assimilation.

Define the concept of accommodation.

List several ways an infant (birth–2 yrs.) displays the use of assimilation.

List several ways an infant displays the use of accommodation.

List several ways adults display the use of assimilation.

List several ways adults display the use of accommodation.

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HANDOUT 6–3

Reflective Journal Exercise #6

If possible, ask your parents to help you write about your cognitive development during the first 2 years.
(If they are not available, you can write about your own children or interview a parent of an infant.) You
can use the following questions to help you reflect.

What is your earliest memory? How old were you? What were your first words? Was there a game you
particularly liked to play, such as peek-a-boo or patty cake? What were your favorite books? How did
your parents try to stimulate your intellectual growth? Was more than one language spoken at home? If
so, which did you prefer to use?

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Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Claude looked at the table and then back at the man.
Larkins was twirling his hat on one of his hands, and his face was
still immobile.
“What if I can’t raise that amount, and then, what does a man of your
present standing want with a thousand dollars?”
“What does a porcupine want with his quills?” flashed the young
sport’s visitor. “He uses them, that’s what. I can use a thousand
dollars.”
Lamont thought of his own account in bank.
It would not do to give that man a check for the amount, for
identification might be followed with unpleasant recollections.
Suddenly he thought of the five thousand he had lately received from
Lamont, senior.
A part of it was still in his pocket.
Biting his lips Claude produced the roll of bills and slowly counted
out the required amount.
“There, don’t come again,” he said, looking up at Larkins, whose
hand reached out for the money. “But hold on. What assurance have
I that you won’t sell me out yet?”
“My word.”
“If it’s no better than your face I’m afraid it’s not worth a great deal.”
“That’s all right. I’m no seraph. Neither was Mother Flintstone, who
died that night—you know how,” and with this shaft Rosy Larkins
opened the door.
As he stepped into the hall his face was for a moment turned from
Claude, and that moment the young man whipped a revolver from
the table drawer.
As he started up there was a musical click, but the next instant the
bare hand of Larkins covered him.
“Don’t be a fool,” he said. “The secret wouldn’t die with me, Mr.
Lamont.”
The leveled weapon dropped and Claude went back again.
“Aha, good-by. Thanks for the chink. It saves Rosy Larkins from the
river,” and the man with the squeaky voice was gone.
He went from the scene of the interview almost straight to Mulberry
Street; he entered police headquarters and made his way to the
superintendent’s private office, where he handed the roll of money to
a young man.
“Lock it up,” said he. “We’ll talk about it later. I’m rather tired of this
beard,” and Carter immediately stood revealed.
CHAPTER XXXI.
IN MOTHER FLINTSTONE’S DEN AGAIN.

The day following these exciting events George Richmond might


have been seen bending over a manuscript in a small room some
distance from Claude Lamont’s apartments.
He had been diligently at work upon the document for some hours,
now and then refreshing himself from a bottle on the table.
The chirography was not his own.
It looked for all the world like the writing of an old person taken with
the palsy, and the man at work smiled every now and then as he
looked at his job.
“It’s good for the two hundred thousand,” said he, half aloud. “That
was a cute bargain Claude made with the old nabob. I am to vanish,
of course; but I’ll see that I don’t lose any of my share. I am to be
killed off, and this paper is to fall into Lamont’s hands, to be
consigned of course to the flames. He’ll probably consider it cheap at
two hundred thousand, but I’ll take care that Claude doesn’t really
carry out the bargain.”
The day had deepened into night, and still George Richmond
worked.
He did not stop till the nearest clock struck eight, and then he
finished his self-imposed task.
Once more, like a good accountant, he glanced over his pages and
stuffed them into an old envelope prepared for the occasion.
“That settles it,” he remarked. “Now for the proof of my demise, ha,
ha!”
He thrust the whole into his pocket and buttoned his coat over it.
After this he turned the gas low and filled the room with shadows,
then pulled his soft hat over his forehead and left the house.
He did not know that he was seen to quit the place.
He was not aware of the fact that during the last part of his work a
pair of foxlike eyes were watching him through a rent in the curtain,
thanks to a broken slat in the shutter.
The owner of these eyes was on his trail.
It was a boy, shrewd and wiry, and he kept George Richmond in
sight, no matter how many turns he made.
Mulberry Billy had not played spy upon this man for nothing.
While he could not see the writing, he felt that it was for no good,
and thus he slipped after the man as he crossed one street after
another, taking himself into a strange part of New York.
George Richmond visited a well-known cheap café on the Bowery
and had a plain supper, after which, once more buttoning his coat to
his chin, he sauntered out under the lights.
Billy was still his ferret.
The boy tracked the man to the house occupied at times by Claude
Lamont.
He saw him mount the steps, but could not see beyond the door.
George Richmond entered the library and turned on the light.
There he looked around the room, but did not see any one.
Claude was not at home.
Richmond would have started if he could have seen the woman who
all the time was closely watching him.
Bristol Clara, Carter’s friend, was on the alert, and, having seen him
come in, was looking at him through the secret crack.
All at once Richmond started up.
“What a fool I am,” he said. “Why didn’t I think of it before? I forgot to
look under the hearth—the very place an old woman like her would
hide precious papers.”
He threw a hasty glance toward the door and was about to quit the
house when he heard a step.
In another moment Claude Lamont stood before him.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” said Richmond.
“And I’ve been unavoidably detained. Couldn’t get here sooner. Well,
have you got the papers?”
Richmond produced his work and threw the bundle upon the table.
Claude pounced upon it and ran over the documents.
“This is good. I didn’t know it was in you,” he cried, looking up at
Richmond.
“I’ve been trained in more schools than one,” was the answer, and
Claude looked away.
“Does it suit?” asked Richmond.
“Perfectly.”
“Will it deceive the governor?”
“Of course it will. Now you must vanish.”
“Yes, I’m to ‘die’ to his satisfaction. I believe you can’t draw any more
money till I’m out of the way and the ‘confession’ in your father’s
hands.”
“That’s the bargain.”
“Well, I thought of that and dashed off this.”
Another bit of paper fell on the table and Claude read:
“FATAL ACCIDENT.
“Last night at ten o’clock a man was seen to fall on the
street near the Brussel Block, on Broadway. His
companion, apparently frightened by his fall, hastened
away, leaving his friend on the pavement. It was
discovered that the stricken man was a well-known
character named George Richmond, who of late has been
subject to attacks of vertigo. The unfortunate man was
conveyed from the spot by others who happened to know
him, and taken to the rooms of a friend, where he died.
Richmond once did time, but of late has not done anything
that called for his arrest, though he was known as a shady
character, liable to embark on some scheme that
promised to add to his wealth, no matter how questionable
the transaction.”
“That’s good!” exclaimed Claude Lamont. “You’re dead—as dead as
a doornail, and please have the kindness to keep this in view. I don’t
think you could have done better. Now, what newspaper?”
“I’ve made the proper arrangements. You can take it to the Item. It
will cost one hundred to get it inserted, but that’s all right. It’s dirt
cheap.”
Claude placed the writing in his pocket and smiled.
“It will hoodwink the old man nicely. He won’t want other ‘proof.’”
“I thought not.”
“I’ll see to that. Now I’ll attend to the matter. I understand that the
item is to appear in but the one paper, and in but one copy at that.”
“That’s it. Too promiscuous publishing might spoil our plans.” The
two men arose and left the house.
On the outside the same little figure saw them and again became
Carter’s spy.
This time Billy tracked Claude Lamont, and saw him enter the office
of a morning newspaper with a limited circulation.
He saw him in earnest conversation with a certain attaché of the
office, and some money changed hands.
After this Claude Lamont, as Billy found out, seemed quite at ease,
for he followed him to a large café, where he ate heartily like a man
pleased with what he had done.
Meantime George Richmond had gone to another part of the city.
Once more he entered the locality known in the annals of the police
as Hell’s Kitchen, and slipped into the room once occupied by
Mother Flintstone.
The people who had moved into the place were already gone, a few
hours sufficing, and he was alone in the old shell.
Instead of sounding walls and ceiling, as he had done on a former
visit, he went straight to the old bricks on the hearth, and
commenced lifting them one by one.
To accomplish his purpose the more readily he got down on his
knees and worked like a beaver.
Each brick was carefully replaced, and he had gone over half the
space when he was interrupted.
A door opened and shut behind him, and George Richmond started
to his feet.
A man stood before him.
“There, don’t draw,” said the person at the door. “It would do you no
good, George Richmond. Don’t let me disturb you. Go back to your
work.”
Richmond did not stir.
“Go back to your work, I say. I’ll wait till you find it.”
“Find what?”
“You know. Your quest.”
The ex-convict smiled grimly.
“I was only seeing if the old woman placed anything under the
bricks,” said he.
“Something valuable, eh?”
“Perhaps.”
“Not money, was it, George?”
“Perhaps not.”
“You’re a cool one. I thought your trip up the river reformed you.
Don’t you remember how the newspapers exploited your return, and
said you were quit of crime? It was a great fake, wasn’t it?”
The speaker smiled, but Richmond did not.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
“That’s another matter. Don’t let me disturb you. You haven’t taken
up more than half the bricks. Go through the rest.”
“I don’t care to. You’re playing spy, and, by heavens! that’s
dangerous work.”
“You mean that the man who watches you may live to regret it?”
“Yes.”
“Well call me spy, then. Don’t you think you’re playing a pretty bold
hand just now, George?”
“I?”
“You. You are into it so deep that you don’t want to miss a good
thing. There’s nothing buried under those bricks; there never was.
Mother Flintstone hid it elsewhere.”
“That’s false. She hid it in this house, and unless you——”
“Come, George, don’t show your teeth like a tiger. It will do you no
good. You can’t find the confession, but the other one will do just as
well!”
“What other one?”
It was evident that the question had no sooner left Richmond’s lips
than he regretted the utterance.
“You know; therefore I need not specify. I hope the work was well
done.”
“Devil! you’ve got to fight for your life,” and the next instant George
Richmond darted forward like a mad beast, and leaping clear of the
floor flung himself upon the stranger.
That person braced himself for the ordeal, and warded off the initial
blow with the dexterity of a practiced pugilist.
George found himself foiled, but he did not give up.
Again he darted at his enemy, and the pair came together in a
deadly grapple.
Back and forth over the floor they writhed like wrestlers before an
audience; now George obtaining a little advantage, now the other
getting the best of it.
At last Richmond found himself held against the wall by a grip of
iron.
He panted in his adversary’s power.
“But one man ever held me thus before this,” he cried.
“Who was he?”
“Nick Carter, and, by heavens! you must be that same man!”
There was no reply.
CHAPTER XXXII.
MULBERRY BILLY’S “FIND.”

Margie Marne came out of the hospital shortly after her terrible
experience in the house guarded by Nora.
Her escape had bordered on the miraculous, and the girl was glad to
get back to the humble home she occupied.
Her first thought was of the woman who had been her jaileress and
she wondered if Nora herself had escaped the flames.
Having a fair acquaintance with Billy, the street Arab, she sought out
the boy, and fortunately found him.
Billy had heard of Nora’s suicide, and he at once posted Margie.
“By the way,” said the little fellow, “I’ve made a find.”
“You? What have you discovered, Billy?”
“Something that I am going to show to Mr. Carter just as soon as I
find him.”
“It may amount to nothing.”
“But you don’t know where I found it,” cried the boy.
“Tell me.”
Billy came closer, and dropped his voice to a whisper as he laid his
hand upon the girl’s arm.
“I found it in Mother Flintstone’s den,” said he. “Look here, Margie.”
He produced a flat package, which looked like it had been stored
away for years, but the moment the girl’s eyes alighted on it she
uttered a little scream.
“It’s the will, Billy!” she exclaimed.
“What had Mother Flintstone to will away, I’d like to know?” said the
boy.
“More than you think. Let me see the packet.”
Billy laid it on the table, and watched Margie closely.
The girl seemed to be afraid to touch the package, but at last she
picked it up.
Opening the envelope, which looked nearly ready to fall to pieces,
she drew forth a paper and opened it.
The first line startled her.
“What is it?” asked the boy.
Margie said nothing, but her eyes dilated.
“It’s a will, you said, Margie?”
“It’s more than that, Billy. It’s the true story of Mother Flintstone’s
life.”
“Then it is important, sure enough.”
Margie read on, her face changing color, and at last she reached the
end of the page.
“Mother Flintstone left behind her an important document,” she
remarked.
“That’s what the dark-faced man was looking for when he sounded
the walls.”
“No doubt of that.”
“P’r’aps that’s why they killed her.”
“They, Billy? Do you think more than one hand was at work that
night?”
“I do, Miss Margie,” cried the boy, confidently. “There are two hands
in this mystery. Mr. Carter will trip them up in time, see if he don’t.”
“Yes, Billy, there is more than a will,” and Margie held the package
up before the street boy. “As I’ve told you, it is also the story of
Mother Flintstone’s life. Where did you find it, boy?”
“Under the hearth.”
“The place was not examined by the dark-faced man?”
“Exactly! He looked every place else. I found it there safe from him
and the rats. Keep it, Margie. No, hide it from that man. He’ll have it
or your life if he knows you have it.”
Margie placed the packet in her bosom, and looked gratefully at the
street boy.
“I’ll see that you’re paid for this find,” said she.
“I don’t want a penny. I only want ter get ahead of George Richmond
and his chum, Claude Lamont, the young sport. They’re into the
biggest game of their lives, but we’ll balk ’em all the same, Margie.”
The girl expressed the hope that it would turn out thus, and in a short
time she was in another part of the city.
She wanted to avoid the man into whose hands she had fallen at the
Trocadero. She was now confident that this personage was Claude
Lamont himself, and she had seen enough of his villainy.
Margie Marne carried the precious package home, where she hid it
carefully, believing that no human eye could find it, and was
satisfied.
Night was coming on, and she quitted her humble lodgings, with her
hood pulled over her face so as to hide it.
She had a visit to make, and soon she reached the room occupied
by Carter.
Her raps were not answered, and she looked disappointed.
When she again reached the street the lamps had been lit, and the
girl looked all about her.
Thinking of the package she started home, but on a corner not far
from Carter’s rooms a hand fell upon her arm.
Margie started, and uttered a little cry. She looked around at the
same time and into the face of a man, who leered at her with a half-
vicious look.
“Don’t fly so fast, my bird,” laughed the fellow. “I don’t intend to soil
your plumage. You’re Miss Margie Marne, aren’t you?”
“What if I am?”
“Then you’re the very person I want to see.”
“But I don’t want to see any one.”
“I suppose not. That’s the way with some girls. I’m Caddy.”
“Who’s Caddy?” demanded Margie.
“I’m the ‘mixer’ at the Trocadero.”
The mention of that name sent a chill through the girl’s nerves, and
she fell back.
“Don’t mention that horrid place!” she exclaimed.
“I know you had a rather unpleasant experience there, but, you see,
it wasn’t my fault. I can tell you something that may give you a
chance to get even.”
“Speak quick, if you can. What is it?”
“Let’s drop in here,” and the little man pointed toward a decent-
looking restaurant.
Eager to learn something more about the man who had decoyed her
to the Trocadero, Margie went with the fellow, and he guided her to a
little table in the darkest corner of the place.
“Why don’t you bleed him?” were the first words when they had
seated themselves.
“Is that your suggestion? Do you want to make a blackmailer out of
me?” exclaimed the girl.
“No; it wouldn’t be blackmail in this case,” explained Caddy. “It would
simply be getting pay for the indignity.”
“I’ll get even with him some other way,” said Margie. “You know him,
do you?”
“Why, of course. Ha, ha, nobody comes to the Trocadero whom I
don’t catch on to. Beat Caddy out of the game, if you can! You don’t
want to make him pay the fiddler, then?”
“Not in the manner you’ve suggested.”
“You’re a fool!” cried the little man. “See here, I’ll help you all I can.
I’ll go halves with you, and you won’t have to take any risk. He’ll
milk.”
“But I’m not in that business.”
Caddy at once changed color.
His round face became positively hideous.
He leaned across the table like a thoroughbred villain and his teeth
seemed to snap together.
“If you don’t bleed him you’ll get into the net again,” he suddenly
cried.
“Which means, I suppose, that you’ll help get me there?”
“I didn’t say I would, but I won’t help keep you out.”
Margie flushed.
“You miserable wretch, keep your distance!” she exclaimed, and
would have left the table but for the clutch of the little man’s hand.
“When you can’t cajole you threaten. It won’t pay, sir.”
“I’ll see that it does pay!” laughed the mixer of the Trocadero,
unabashed. “I know my business. Sit down.”
Margie was thrust back into her chair, and the fellow leered at her
again.
“If you don’t want to milk the young sport himself, bleed the old man.
He’s a bird with golden plumage.”
“What’s his name?”
“Gad, don’t you know? It’s Perry Lamont. Lives on one of the
avenues and has mints of wealth at his command. He’s a pigeon
worth plucking, girl.”
“No, let others do that.”
“Where did you get your scruples, I’d like to know?” sneered Caddy.
“You’re one in ten thousand. Why, you can feather your nest in fine
shape——”
Margie broke loose from the fellow’s grasp and fell back.
He arose at the same time and came around the table.
“Don’t touch me, serpent!” cried the girl. “You can’t use me in any of
your schemes. I try to be honest.”
“You do, eh? Oh, you’ll get over it in time. Get a few more years on
you and you’ll be as tough——”
“Here, what’s that? That’s an honest girl, sir,” put in a man eating
quietly at another table. “Don’t touch her, you little sinner, or I’ll break
your neck.”
The speaker arose and came forward, gazed at by Caddy with
feelings of fear, while Margie thanked him mutely for his interference.
“I don’t know you, miss, but I’ve seen this man,” continued the
stranger, who was tall and broad-shouldered. “I guess it’s not the first
time for him. Get out.”
He pushed Caddy down the aisle with his large hand, and the little
drink mixer went without much urging.
“I’ll see you later!” he flashed at Margie.
“No threats!” cried the other man. “Get out, I say, and the sooner the
better.”
Then the tall man turned to Margie and said:
“Pardon me, but I thought I heard him call you Margie. It cannot be
Miss Margie Marne whom I address?”
“That’s my full name, sir,” said the girl, dropping her eyes.
“My name is McDonald—Jerry McDonald. I own a little business
property in this city. The man who just left is a little rascal. I suppose
he decoyed you hither?”
Margie told the story of her coming to the place, and McDonald said:
“He’s revengeful, and you will do well to look after him. If you ever
need my assistance in any way don’t hesitate to command it,” and
he handed the girl his card.
In another moment the still astonished girl was alone.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE COST OF A SECRET.

George Richmond found himself suddenly free from his antagonist in


Mother Flintstone’s den.
The battle ended sooner than he thought, for his enemy gave a lurch
which disengaged them, and when George recovered he was the
sole occupant of the place.
“Who was he?” the astonished man asked himself.
The reply came from his imagination, and he sprang to the door and
looked out.
No one there.
“I accused him of being Carter, the detective, but he did not reply,”
he went on. “Years ago I was in Carter’s hands and the grip to-night
seemed the same. But I may have been mistaken. I mustn’t forget
that years have passed since Carter caught me red-handed. I cannot
believe that my foe to-night was the detective.”
George did not resume his inspection of the old hearth, for he turned
away after replacing the last brick and slipped into the street.
He was to vanish now.
That was his bargain with Claude Lamont, and he knew that the
fictitious account of his death was even then in the hands of the
printers.
He turned up later in another part of the city.
He crossed the bridge and vanished in Brooklyn.
Chuckling to himself, he thought of how he had played it on Perry
Lamont.
In a small room he threw himself upon a couch to snatch a little
sleep.
He was to be pronounced dead by the newspaper to Perry Lamont.
That was a part of the conspiracy.
Claude, the blackmailer of his own father, was to attend to that part
of the work and he—George—was to get some of the blood money.
Thinking how easily the game moved onward to success, he fell
asleep, nor waked till the next morning.
Then he set about disguising himself most thoroughly.
He changed his eyebrows, he darkened his hair and he gave his
upper lip a sweeping mustache.
After his work no one would have called him George Richmond.
Meantime, over in the larger city, Perry Lamont, entering the library
earlier than usual, as if he expected to hear some news, found
Claude there.
Father and son looked at one another for a second, and Claude
pointed at a newspaper on the desk.
The millionaire picked it up and his eager eyes discerned a pencil
mark at a certain paragraph.
He devoured the falsehood eagerly and almost out of breath.
The young sport watched him like a cat.
“Thank Heaven!” cried Perry Lamont, as he shot a glance at Claude
and dropped into his chair.
“It suits you, I see.”
“Suits me?” was the reply. “You know it does.”
A momentary silence followed between father and son, and then the
elder Lamont said:
“Did you have any trouble?”
“Not much.”
“Did he suspect you?”
“Yes, he did that; but I had to go on, you know.”
“I know. He died for sure?”
It was a singular question, as if the speaker half suspected the truth,
and Claude’s heart seemed to find a lodgment in his throat.
“What does the paper say?” cried Claude, a little irritated. “It records
the death of the notorious George Richmond, doesn’t it?”
“It does.”
“That’s sufficient, I think. Do you want to see the—body?”
“My God, no!”
“Nor the burial certificate? They’ll probably hold a post mortem, but
we’re safe all the same. It’s all right, I assure you. There’s no danger,
but it took work.”
“I’m proud of you, Claude. Now, what about the papers?”
“I’ve got them, too.”
“Here?”
“Yes,” and Claude dived one hand into an inner pocket and drew
forth a package, at sight of which Lamont’s eyes seemed to bulge
from his head.
“There they are,” he resumed, throwing the packet upon the table.
The millionaire snatched at it and opened the package.
He found the documents forged by George Richmond, and opened
the first one.
“Heavens! what have we escaped?” he ejaculated. “It was a very
narrow escape. Did you read these papers, Claude?”
“No, never thought of that. I don’t care to know what the old hag
was.”
“Great Cæsar! these papers would have destroyed us,” and Perry
Lamont looked white. “She had it in her power to break me up, and I
don’t see why she didn’t exercise it. Why, they’re worth a million
almost.”
For some time Perry Lamont went over the papers in silence and did
not look up again till he had reached the end of the last sheet.
Claude smiled inwardly all the time.
He knew that George had done his work well.
“Now, here they go,” said Lamont, senior, at last, as he moved
toward the grate where a fire burned.
Claude saw his father hold the documents over the fire a few
moments and then drop them into it.
As they caught fire the door opened and Opal came in.
Her face was white and she was agitated.
Perry Lamont pointed in silence at the hearth and looked toward his
daughter.
Opal sprang to the fire and bent forward.
“Did you get it?” she asked, looking at her brother.
Claude said nothing.
“Did you have any trouble?”
“Some.”
“You paid him well for that service, didn’t you?” she inquired of her
father.
“We had an understanding.”
“That’s good. It saved us. We are no longer in the toils of the secret-
keeper. Now no one can say that Mother Flintstone was our near
kin.”
The tall, regal-looking girl seemed almost beside herself with joy.
She would have embraced Claude had not his coldness repulsed
her, and in a few moments she withdrew.
“I’ll take it now,” said Claude, addressing his parent.

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