Wk 6: Infancy Part I

An infant’s birth height increases by ___% by age 1, and ___% by age 2.

• 50%

• 75%

An infant’s birth weight ___ by 5 months and ___ by 1 year.

• doubles

• triples

An infant’s birth weight ____ by age 2.

quadruples

Growth during infancy occurs in ____.

spurts

What principles explain infant changes in body proportions?

• Cephalocaudal principle

• Proximodistal principle

• Principle of hierarchical integration

• Principle of independent systems

Cephalocaudal principle

• Cephalocaudal = head to tail

• indicates that the head develops more rapidly than the rest of the body during infancy

Proximodistal principle

• Proximodistal = near to far

• indicates that development occurs from the center of the body outward, with control of the trunk before limbs.

Principle of hierarchical integration

• indicates that skills develop separately and independently during infancy

• simple skills develop first, eventually integrating into more complex skills over time

Principle of independent systems

indicates that different body systems grow at different rates

The ___ system and ___ are the foundation of development.

• nervous system

• brain

Neurons

cells in the nervous system that communicate by releasing neurotransmitters into synapses

Cerebral cortex

the outer layer of the brain responsible for complex functions like perception, cognition, and motor control

How many hours a day do newborns sleep?

16-17 hours a day, waking every few hours to feed

What are the ABCs of Safe Sleep?

they state that a baby should sleep:

• Alone

• on their Back

• in a safe Crib right from the start (to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)).

What are the 8 basic reflexes an infant is born with?

• rooting

• stepping

• swimming

• moro (startle)

• blinking

• babinski

• sucking

• grasping

What is the rooting reflex?

• an automatic response in newborns where they turn their head and open their mouth in search of food when their cheek is stroked

• disappears around 3 weeks of age

What is the stepping reflex?

• an automatic movement in infants where they make stepping motions when their feet are placed on a flat surface

• disappears around 2 months of age

What is the swimming reflex?

• an automatic response in infants where they exhibit swimming motions when placed in water

• disappears around 6 months of age

Moro (startle) reflex

• an automatic response in infants where they fling their arms and legs outward in response to a sudden stimulus, such as a loud noise or loss of support

• typically disappears around 6 months of age

Blinking reflex

• an automatic response in infants where they close their eyes in response to bright light

• remains throughout life

Babinski reflex

• an automatic response in infants where they fan out their toes when the sole of their foot is stroked

• disappears around 8-12 months of age

Sucking reflex

• an automatic response in infants where they instinctively suck on objects placed in their mouth

• remains throughout life

Grasping reflex

• an automatic response in infants where they grasp objects placed in their hands

• disappears around 6 months of age

Gross Motor Development

• the progression of a child's ability to use large muscle movements

• ex: crawling, standing, walking

Fine Motor Development

• the progression of a child's ability to use small muscle movements

• ex: grasping, reaching

Children develop fine and gross motor skills at ___ rates.

different

What gross and fine motor movements does a 3 month old have?

• Expected gross motor: rolls from side to side

• Expected fine motor: grasps rattle

What gross and fine motor movements does a 6 month old have?

• Expected gross motor: sits without support

• Expected fine motor: transfers object from one hand to the other

What gross and fine motor movements does a 7-9 month old have?

• Expected gross motor: stands with support

• Expected fine motor: grasps with thumb and finger

What gross and fine motor movements does an 11 month old have?

• Expected gross motor: stands alone

• Expected fine motor: develops pincer grasp

What gross and fine motor movements does an 11-14 month old have?

• Expected gross motor: walks independently

• Expected fine motor: builds a tower with 2 squares

What gross and fine motor movements does a 16 month old have?

• Expected gross motor: walks upstairs

• Expected fine motor: removes socks and shoes

What gross and fine motor movements does a 24 month old have?

• Expected gross motor: jumps, runs, kicks a ball

• Expected fine motor: drinks from a cup without spilling

Types of malnutrition

• Marasmus

• Kwashiorkor

Marasmus

• a form of malnutrition characterized by a diet low in all essential nutrients

• causes lasting physical damage, learning and behavioral effects, and puts child at risk for death

Kwashiorkor

• a form of malnutrition characterized by a diet low in protein

• causes lasting physical damage, learning and behavioral effects

What is food insecurity?

the lack of access to healthy, nutritious foods

What can food insecurity cause?

• physical growth issues

• learning problems

What senses does a newborn have?

• vision

• hearing

• smell

• taste

• sensitivity to pain

• responds to touch

Piaget’s Theory for Cognitive Development suggests that infants have schemas. What are schemas?

mental structures that organize and interpret information

What two principles underlie growth in children’s schemas?

assimilation and accommodation

Assimilation

• the process by which people understand an experience in terms of their current stage of cognitive development

• they apply an existing schema to new experiences

• ex: children who encounter a flying squirrel at a zoo and call it a “bird” are assimilating the squirrel to their existing schema of bird

Accommodation

• the process of adjusting an existing schema or creating new ones in response to new information and experiences

• ex: when children see a flying squirrel and call it “a bird with a tail,” they are beginning to accommodate new knowledge, modifying their schema of a bird

Piaget suggests that the sensorimotor stage, the initial major stage of cognitive development, can be broken down into six substages. What are these six stages?

• reflexive schemas

• primary circular reactions

• secondary circular reactions

• coordination of secondary circular reactions

• tertiary circular reactions

• mental representations

Reflexive schemas (birth to 1 month)

infants use innate reflexes to learn and grow cognitively

Primary circular reactions (1-4 months)

an infant engages in simple motor habits centered around their own body (ex: sucking their thumb)

Secondary circular reactions (4-8 months)

an infant can perform intentional, goal-directed behavior and understands object permanence (ex: child picking up rattle and shaking it repeatedly)

Coordination of secondary circular reflexes (8-12 months)

an infant will imitate familiar behaviors and repeat actions that produce interesting effects (ex: mimic face expressions or drop toys to see them fall)

Tertiary circular reactions (12-18 months)

infants carry out miniature experiments to learn about objects (ex: dropping a spoon repeatedly to see how it falls in different ways)

Mental representation (18 months to 2 years)

• the ability to form internal images or concepts of objects and events

• advanced object permanence (ex: knowing an object exists even if it is invisible to us, like under a blanket)

Object permanence

understanding that an object exists, even when out of sight

How do we test if an infant understands object permanence?

By hiding an object and observing if the infant searches for it, indicating they believe it still exists

Displaced reference

• the ability to use words or symbols to refer to an object that is not present

• this is a huge achievement in cognitive development