Chapter 4: Infancy – Study Questions

Body changes in first year

Babies grow fast, they get longer, gain weight, and their heads grow

Growth principles

Cephalocaudal = head grows first, then body, then legs. Proximodistal = growth starts at the middle of the body and moves outward (torso → arms/legs → hands/fingers)

Brain parts

Cerebrum = thinking, Cerebellum = movement, Brainstem = basic life functions

Brain changes in infancy

Grows fast, forms many synapses, and myelination speeds up signals

Infant sleep changes

Newborns sleep 16–18 hours, by 1 year about 12–14 hours, sleep becomes more regular

SIDS risk factors

Sleeping on stomach, soft bedding, smoking, unsafe bedsharing

Nutrition changes in first year

Start with breast milk/formula → add solids around 6 months → gradually eat table foods

Effects of malnutrition

Slowed growth, poor brain development, weaker immune system

Infant mortality causes and prevention

Causes = birth complications, infections, malnutrition. Prevention = vaccines, safe sleep, proper nutrition, healthcare

Cultural protection of infants

Special clothing, rituals, co

Gross vs fine motor skills

Gross = big movements like rolling, crawling, walking. Fine = small movements like grabbing, holding, pointing

Depth perception

Starts 2–3 months, fully used by 7–8 months

Intermodal perception

Matching information from different senses (e.g., voice to face)

Maturation

Natural growth that happens over time

Schemes, assimilation, accommodation

Schemes = mental folders. Assimilation = adding info to existing folder. Accommodation = changing folder when new info doesn’t fit

Sensorimotor stage

Babies learn about world through senses and movement (birth–2 years)

Object permanence

Knowing objects exist even if not seen, starts 4–8 months, solid by 12 months

Information

processing approach

Attention and habituation

Babies focus better with age

habituation = boredom with repeated things shows memory

Memory development

Short

Bayley Scales

Tests cognitive, motor, and language skills in infants

Habituation tests and intelligence

Faster boredom/recovery shows stronger memory, predicts later intelligence

Educational media effects

Don’t boost development under age 2, real

Language development milestones

Cooing ~2 months, babbling ~6 months, first words ~12 months

Cultural differences in language

Some cultures talk a lot to babies, others rely on observation/gestures

Infant temperament

Baby’s personality, types = easy, difficult, slow

Temperament dimensions

Activity level, mood, adaptability, attention

Goodness

of

Primary emotions

Joy, anger, fear, sadness, surprise, disgust

Emotional perception and social development

Babies read faces, respond to others’ feelings, start social smiling

Infants’ social world

Family, caregivers, siblings, community

cultural differences in interaction

Social development theories

Psychoanalytic = early relationships shape growth. Learning = behaviors learned through rewards, punishment, imitation