chapter 5: physical development in infancy and toddlerhood

Amodal sensory properties

Perceptual features not bound to a single sensory modality (vision, hearing, touch), but shared across multiple (synchrony, rhythm, tempo, and intensity)

Cephalocaudal trend

Top down pattern of physical growth.

Motor control progression 0-2 months

Head and facial muscle control develops

Motor control progression 3-6 months

Upper body control, lifting the chest and arm movement

Motor control progression 6-12 months

Lower body control, sitting, crawling, walking

Classical conditioning

Discovered by Pavlov, associative learning using a neutral stimulus (bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (food)

Dynamic systems theory of motor development

Self organizing process arising from complex, bidirectional interactions between the brain, body, and environment

Habituation

Responsiveness to a stimuli decreases over time

Intermodal perception

The ability to perceive and integrate information from multiple sensory modalities simultaneously to understand an object or event

Myelination

The essential process of forming a sheath around axons to insulate nerve fibers

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers released by neurons

Pincer grasp

Fine motor skill of using the index finger and thumb to pick up small objects, developing between 9 and 12 months of age

Prefrontal cortex

Develops rapidly for infants, and is actively involved in learning, social cognition, and emotional regulation.

Proximodistal trend

A pattern of physical growth and motor skill devlopment that proceeds from the center of the body outward to the extremities. Control over the torso and arms is developed before the fine motor skills.

Synaptic pruning

Eliminating weak or unused neural connections to increase efficiency

Ulnar grasp

Infant holds an object against the ulnar side of their palm without their thumb

Sleep during the first two years

Facilitates rapid brain maturation, memory consolidation, and physical growth.

Body growth during infancy

Weight: triples body weight in the first year, doubles by 4-6 months.

Length: babies grow 1 inch per month for the first 6 months

Head circumference: skull grows rapidly to accommodate the developing brain

Brain growth during infancy

Brain doubles in size in the first year, reaching 80% of adult volume by age 3, forming 1 million new neural connections per second.

Early influences on physical growth

High quality nutrient intake, consistent sleep patterns, exposure to environmental toxins, and nurturing, stimulating environments.

Motor development

Progresses rapidly from reflexive movements to voluntary control, generally following a head to tail pattern.

Key milestones: roll over (3-4 months), sit up (6-8 months) walking (11-12 months)

Perceptual development

Babies learn to interpret sensory information. Vision, hearing, taste, smell, touch, habituation