Final answer:
Gigi, a 3-month-old infant, is using sensorimotor perception to explore the world by grasping her toys. This activity is part of the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development, which involves learning through the senses and motor behavior, including the innate grasping reflex.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Gigi, a 3-month-old infant, explores the world by grasping her toys, she is using sensorimotor perception. This is part of the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development, as described by Jean Piaget, which lasts from birth to about 2 years old. At this stage, children learn about the world around them through their senses and motor behavior including the grasping reflex, which is one of the few innate behaviors in human beings and is present even at birth.
This stage illustrates significant cognitive and physical development in young children. They use their sensorimotor perception to understand objects and how they work, engaging with the environment in a direct, physical way. Piaget originally theorized that children in the sensorimotor stage could not mentally represent objects that were out of sight (lacking object permanence), but recent research suggests that even very young children have some understanding of the properties of objects before they directly interact with them.