PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN INFANCY

cephalocaudal pattern

is the sequence in which the earliest growth always occurs at the top—the head—with physical growth and differentiation of features gradually working their way down from top to bottom

motor

_________ development generally proceeds according to the cephalocaudal principle

proximodistal pattern

the sequence in which growth starts at the center of the body and moves toward the extremities.

growth

______ slows considerably in the second year of life

episodic

Growth is _____, occurring in spurts

  Frontal lobes

are involved in voluntary movement, thinking, personality, and intentionality or purpose.

Occipital lobes

function in vision.

Temporal lobes

have an active role in hearing, language processing, and memory

Parietal lobes

play important roles in registering spatial location, attention, and motor control

neuroconstructivist view

(a) biological processes (genes, for example) and environmental conditions (enriched or impoverished, for example) influence the brain’s development; (b) the brain has plasticity and is context dependent; and (c) the child’s cognitive development is closely linked to development of the brain. These factors constrain or advance the construction of cognitive skills

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

is a condition that occurs when infants stop breathing, usually during the night, and die suddenly without any apparent reason.

more

SIDS is ____ likely to occur in infants who do not use a pacifier when they go to sleep than in those who do use a pacifier

maternal smoking, bed sharing

two other factors that place infants at the highest risk for SIDS are

dynamic systems theory

infants assemble motor skills for perceiving and acting, example: Walking emerges from the integration of balance, muscle strength, motivation, and environmental support.

Reflexes

are built-in reactions to stimuli; they govern the newborn’s movements, which are automatic and beyond the newborn’s control

rooting reflex

occurs when the infant’s cheek is stroked or the side of the mouth is touched. In response, the infant turns its head toward the side that was touched in an apparent effort to find something to suck

sucking reflex

occurs when newborns auto matically suck an object placed in their mouth. This reflex enables newborns to get nourish ment before they have associated a nipple with food and also serves as a self-soothing or self-regulating mechanism

Moro reflex

When startled, the newborn arches its back, throws back its head, and flings out its arms and legs. Then the newborn rapidly draws in its arms and legs.

3-4 months old

The rooting and Moro reflexes, for example, tend to disappear when the infant is

grasping reflex

occurs when something touches the infant’s palms. The infant responds by grasping tightly.

gross motor skills

involve large muscle activities such as moving one’s arms and walking.

18 to 24 months

By _______, toddlers can walk quickly or run stiffly for a short distance, balance on their feet in a squatting position while playing with objects on the floor, walk backward without losing their balance, stand and kick a ball without falling, stand and throw a ball, and jump in place.

2 to 4 and a half month

an infant can roll over

5-10 months

stand with support

5-8 months

sit without support

11-14 months

walk alone easily

fine motor skills

Motor skills that involve more finely tuned movements, such as finger dexterity.

palmar grasp

infants grip with the whole hand

pincer grip

infants also grasp small objects with their thumb and forefinger

affordances

Opportunities for interaction offered by objects that fit within our capabilities to perform functional activities.

perceptual narrowing

infants are more likely to distinguish between faces to which they have been exposed than faces that they have never seen before

Size constancy

is the recognition that an object remains the same even though the retinal image of the object changes as you move toward or away from the object

Shape constancy

is the recognition that an object remains the same shape even though its orientation to us changes.

intermodal perception

involves integrating information from two or more sensory modalities, such as vision and hearing

nativist view

In the _____ the ability to perceive the world in a competent, organized way is inborn or innate.

dendritic spreading

One of the most dramatic changes in the brain in the first two years of life is _________ which increases the connections between neurons.

Myelination

speeds the conduction of nerve impulses, continues through infancy and even into adolescence.

18 hours

Newborns usually sleep about ______ a day

prone sleeping

the most critical factor in predicting whether an infant will develop SIDS is __________

two

The fetus can hear during the last ____ months of pregnancy