Infant Development: Cognitive, Motor, and Sensory Milestones

Romanian orphanage study

Orphans younger than 6 months who were put with foster families developed more healthily than that of their peers who were left in the foster system.

Defining Infancy

The period from the newborn stage to around 2 years old.

Nature vs Nurture

Nature refers to what is innate to you that makes your development unique; Nurture refers to environmental/outside influences that shape your environment.

Quantitative Change

Continuous change, changes in amount, e.g., weight.

Qualitative Change

Changes that are discontinuous, where new features appear or old disappear, e.g., language.

Developmental Cascades

Development where processes are formed via a gradual building of skills to gain a new skill, e.g., walking, language development.

Ecological Systems Theory

Bronfenbrenner's theory that includes micro, meso, exo, and macrosystem, all affecting the child in different ways.

Why we study infants

To help us appreciate development in adolescents and adults, understand development, and uncover developmental processes.

How we study infants

Using designs like experimental, longitudinal, cross-sectional, and measures like observational and parent surveys.

Habituation

Babies become so familiar with a stimulus that they get bored.

Gene-Environment Interactions

Interactions that include passive, evocative, and active gene-environment interactions.

Epigenetics

Involves changes in how genes are expressed, without changes in DNA.

Dandelion vs Orchid Children

Orchid children thrive under optimal conditions; Dandelion children thrive regardless of stressors/trauma.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an individual, inherited from biological parents.

Phenotype

Observable characteristics or traits that reflect genes and environment.

Heredity

The transmission of genetic information across generations and how that information translates to differences in physical characteristics and behavior.

Heritability

Statistical measure estimating the proportion of differences in expression of a trait in a population due to genetic differences.

Neural Tube

The nervous system develops from the creation of the neural tube.

Synaptogenesis

Creation of connections between neurons.

Lateralization

Emergence of the visual word-form system and increased left-lateralization with reading experience.

Prenatal Development

Lasts about 38 weeks, with preterm birth defined as born earlier than 38 weeks.

Teratogens

Any disease, drug, or other environmental agent that can harm a developing embryo or fetus.

Stages of Labor

Includes dilation, transition, and afterbirth.

Sensation vs Perception

Sensation is sensory input; Perception is how infants interpret what they see.

Perceptual Narrowing

Where perception in younger infants is less specialized and in older infants is more specialized.

Newborn behavioral categories

Includes the five senses and their development.

Visual Acuity

BAD 20/200—20/400

Visual Evoked Potentials

Electrical activity looked at as the infant looks at a visual stimulus

Preference/Teller Acuity Cards

Measure infants' looking behavior to simultaneously presented pattern

Optokinetic Nystagmus

Measure reflexive eye movement to moving pattern

Face Processing

Newborn infants are born ready to look at faces

Common/Relative Motion

Parts of objects move as a whole

Color Vision

Adults are trichromatic

Kinematic Depth Cues

Info about movement present in the first month after birth

Binocular Depth Cues

Present at approx. 4 months after birth

Pictorial Depth Cues

Develops 5-7 months; cues we can use to perceive depth in pictures

Intermodal Perception

Intersensory Redundancy Hypothesis: redundancy across senses facilitates perceptual learning

Failure to Thrive

When a baby's height, weight, and/or head circumference don't match standard growth charts

Gesell Motor Milestones

Standards used to evaluate infant motor development

Gibson's Affordances

The relation between an infant's real abilities and the properties of the environment

Contexts of Motor Development

Gahvora cradle: infants wrapped tightly, restricting movement

Optic Flow

Perceive movement created as they travel around the room

Proprioception

Information from the position and movement of your body

Sticky Mitten Video

Baby mittens with velcro allowing prereaching infants to pick up objects

Embodied

Motor development depends on the current status of the body

Embedded

The environment creates and constrains possibilities for action

Enculturated

Social and cultural influences from caregivers shape motor behaviors

Enabling

New motor skills create opportunities for exploration and learning

Moro Reflex

Seen when support for head/neck is suddenly lost; begins to disappear at 5 months

Babinski Reflex

If still exists after 2 years, indicates damage to nerve pads connecting spinal cord and brain

Reaching Development

5 month old babies can reach; eyes guiding hands

Breastfeeding Benefits for Infant

Lower incidence of childhood illnesses like ear infections and respiratory infections

Breastfeeding Benefits for Breastfeeder

Lowered incidence of breast and ovarian cancer

Reflexes in Infants

Breathing, swallowing, sucking have survival purposes

Cultural Differences in Sitting

Infants began to sit at 5-6 months with high variability across cultures