Physical Development in Infancy: Sensory/Perceptual Development, Motor Development

infancy

period from birth to age 2

sensation

process by which sensory information is transmitted

vision, audition

2 forms of sensation

perception

interpretation of sensory input

interpretation of visual and auditory information

2 forms of perception

preference technique, habituation technique, physiological technique

3 methods of studying perceptual development

preference technique

method of studying perceptual development that involves presenting two stimuli and measuring infant looking time

preference technique

example of a technique for studying perceptual development: Present two different color circles and measure looking time at each circle. If infant looks at one circle for longer than the other, it means they can distinguish between the two and they prefer one over the other

habituation technique

method of studying perceptual development that measures if once an infant is exposed to stimuli, they get used to it/bored with it and seek out something new to focus on

habituation technique

example of a method of studying perceptual development: Present a blue circle long enough until an infant looks away from it, and then present a red circle and note looking time. If they spend more time looking at red circle, it means they can tell the difference between the two and are interpreting the red circle as something new/different to look at

physiological techniques

method of studying perceptual development that includes measuring changes in heart rate, brain waves (EEG), and conducting PET scans to visualize activity in different parts of the brain

nearsighted

Are infants born nearsighted or farsighted?

20/500

estimated vision of infants

12

infants can only see objects clearly that are within about ______ inches from their faces (otherwise everything they see is blurry/indistinct)

visual acuity

sharpness of vision that improves over time

visual exploration

infants engage in this by scanning visual fields and looking for objects and slowly tracking moving objects

color vision

this type of vision is complicated because of different hues, brightnesses, and wavelengths

yes

Are newborns able to distinguish very different colors (ex: red vs. yellow)?

no

Are newborns easily able to distinguish similar colors (ex: blue vs. gray)?

4 months

color vision is normal (like adult color vision) by this age

Fanz Study

study that measured looking time (preference technique) and found that infants prefer faces, objects with patterns, and colors

light/dark contrast, moving objects, objects with contours (curvy lines)

types of objects infants prefer

yes

Are babies equally attracted to regularly configured faces and scrambled faces?

hairline, facial features

newborns prefer their mother's face and respond to her unique ___________(hairline/facial features); by 2 months, infants distinguish faces of strangers by looking at their ___________(hairline/facial features)

2 months

by this age, infants can coordinate the sight of their mother's face with the sound of her voice

6 months

by this age, infants can recognize faces as the same regardless of facial expression

movement, static features

at about 2 months, infants use ______________(movement/static features) to perceive objects as separate; at about 6-8 months, they use ______________(movement/static features) of objects to perceive them as separate

depth perception

the ability to perceive the world in 3 dimensions -- to perceive objects as closer or farther in 3 dimensional space

retinas

the images we see are transmitted onto our ___________ in 2 dimensions

binocular, monocular

2 depth cues used to perceive depth

visual cliff

apparatus used in laboratory studies that creates a perceived drop-off with a plexiglass floor

6-7 months

age in the visual cliff study where babies refused to cross cliff/hesitated, showing they have depth perception at this age

optical expansion

a depth cue that uses kinetic (motion) cues to perceive depth; as object gets closer and bigger, baby pulls away from object

2-3 months

age when babies can detect differences between deep and shallow sides of the visual cliff by HR changes or blinking/responding defensively to looming objects

4-5 months

age when binocular perception/retinal disparity is used (blending of 2 images, 1 from each eye) to provide cues about depth

6-7 months

age when monocular/pictorial depth cues are used (information from just one eye is used to perceive depth)

interposition/overlap, relative size, linear perspective

3 methods of monocular/pictorial depth cues

yes (unlike sight)

Can newborns hear well?

3 months

age at which infants can discriminate mom's voice from dad's voice (voice discrimination)

higher pitched with rising/falling intonation

type of sound newborns prefer

motherese

baby talk ("sing-songy" voice)

predictable

Is the sequence of motor developments in infancy predictable or unpredictable?

yes

Do some babies skip a step of typical motor development?

range

Is there an exact age or a range of normative development for each motor development step?

both

Are nature or nurture important for motor development?