Brain, Perception, and Motor Development - Infancy
Brain, Perception, & Motor Development: Infancy
The Organized Newborn
- Reflex: Involuntary and automatic responses to stimuli.
Types of Reflexes
| Name of Reflex | Response | Developmental Course |
|---|
| Palmar grasp | Curling fingers around objects that touch the palm | Birth to about 4 months |
| Rooting | Turning head and tongue toward stimulus when cheek is touched | Disappears over first few weeks of life |
| Sucking | Sucking on objects placed into the mouth | Birth to about 6 months |
| Moro | Startle response to loud noise or sudden change in position; arms thrown out, back arches | Birth to about 5-7 months |
| Babinski | Fanning and curling the toes when stroking the bottom of the foot | Birth to about 8-12 months |
| Stepping | Making stepping movements when held upright | Birth to about 2-3 months |
| Swimming | Holding breath and moving in water | Birth to about 4-6 months |
Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS)
- Evaluates baby’s reflexes, muscle tone, state changes, responsiveness to physical and social stimuli, and other reactions (Berk, 2013, p. 138).
Learning Capacities
Classical Conditioning
- Steps of Classical Conditioning.
- Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): Breast milk
- Unconditioned Response (UCR): Sucking
- Neutral Stimulus: Forehead stroking
- Conditioned Stimulus (CS): Forehead stroking
- Conditioned Response (CR): Sucking
Additional Learning Capacities
- Habituation: Gradual decline in response intensity, frequency, or duration to a repetitive stimulus (p. 142).
- Recovery: Increased responsiveness following habituation due to a new stimulus (p. 142).
- Imitation: Learning by copying others' behavior (p. 145).
Habituation Procedure (Flom & Bahrick, 2007)
- Time/Trials Looking (sec) and visual recovery outcomes for habituation trials.
Infant States
Table of Infant States of Arousal
| State | Description | Daily Duration in Newborn (hours) |
|---|
| Regular sleep | Baby still, eyes closed, breathing slow and regular. | 8-9 |
| Irregular sleep | Eyes closed, move under eyelids (REM), breathing irregular. | 8-9 |
| Drowsiness | Falling asleep/waking up, eyes glazed, breathing regular but rapid. | 1/2-3 |
| Alert inactivity | Eyes wide open, exploring environment, even breathing. | 2-3 |
| Alert activity | Eyes open, irregular breathing, fussy, bursts of motor activity. | 1-3 |
| Crying | Intense, difficult to stop, high levels of motor activity. | 1-3 |
Sleep States
- REM Sleep: Irregular brain activity resembling waking, uneven heart rate, slight movements.
- NREM Sleep: Regular sleep state, slow breathing and heart rate.
Motor Development
Gross and Fine Motor Development
- Gross Motor Development: Control of large body movements (p. 157).
- Fine Motor Development: Control of small finger movements (p. 160).
Growth Trends in Infancy
- Cephalocaudal: "Head to tail"; control of head before arms and trunk, legs last.
- Proximodistal: From the center of the body outward; head and trunk control before limbs (Kuther, 2023, pp. 670, 678).
Dynamic Systems of Motor Development
- Reflects interaction among developmental domains, maturation, and environment.
Biological and Contextual Determinants of Motor Development
- Maturation of CNS, growth of muscles, practice opportunities, environmental support, child's goals.
Milestones in Motor Development
- Head Erect and Steady: 6 weeks
- Elevates Self by Arms: 3 weeks - 4 months
- Rolls from Side to Back: 2 months
- Grasps Cube: 2 months
- Sits Alone: 7 months
- Crawls: 7 months
- Pulls to Stand: 8 months
- Stands Alone: 11 months
- Walks Alone: 11 months 3 weeks
- Walks Up Stairs (with help): 14 months
Sensation and Perception
Vision
- Least developed sense at birth; visual acuity reaches adult levels between 6 months and 1 year.
- Preference for patterns and faces.
- Color vision improves with age (Kuther, 2023, pp. 168-169).
Depth Perception
- Ability to perceive distances and the visual cliff experiment shows the association of crawling experience with fear of heights (Kuther, 2023, pp. 170-171).
Hearing
- Most developed sense at birth; newborns hear as well as adults and prefer speech sounds (Kuther, 2023, p. 171).
Touch
- Critical for learning; skin-to-skin contact reduces stress responses and pain sensitivity develops before birth (Kuther, 2023, p. 172).
Smell and Taste
- Well-developed at birth; infants discriminate between tastes and prefer sweetness (Kuther, 2023, p. 172).