Research completed with infants 5 to 9 months of age using a bouncing ball and perception with a gradually occluded wall found that infants were more likely to predict the path of the ball when it disappeared _______.

A) gradually
B) suddenly
C) abruptly
D) imploded

The research found that infants were more likely to predict the path of the bouncing ball when the wall gradually occluded the ball, suggesting that they were able to use their knowledge of the ball's trajectory to predict where it would go even when partially hidden. Sudden or abrupt disappearance of the ball would not provide enough information for the infants to make accurate predictions. The option "imploded" is not relevant to the context of the study.