Transcript Chapter 5: Physical Development in Infants and Toddlers

Chapter 5: Physical
Development in Infants and
Toddlers
5.1 Healthy Growth
5.2 The Developing Nervous
System
5.3 Motor Development
5.4 Sensory and Perceptual
Processes
5.1 Healthy Growth
Features of Human Growth
Variations on the Average
Profile
Mechanisms of Physical Growth
Challenges to Healthy Growth
Features of Human
Growth
Follows the cephalocaudal principle
Muscles become longer and thicker
During the first year, a layer of fat is
added
Cartilage is replaced by bone
5.1 Healthy Growth
Variations on the Average
Profile
Secular Growth Trends:
generational changes in physical
development
Average and normal are not the
same
5.1 Healthy Growth
Average Height and Weight
Mechanisms of Physical
Growth
Heredity influences adult height
The pituitary gland secretes growth
hormone
Nutrition is particularly important during
infancy when growth is rapid
At 2 years, growth slows and kids
become “picky” eaters
5.1 Healthy Growth
Challenges to Healthy
Growth
Malnutrition is especially damaging in
infancy
Malnutrition needs to be treated with
adequate diet and parent training
Many diseases that kill young children
are preventable with vaccines, improved
health care, and changing habits
5.1 Healthy Growth
5.2 The Developing
Nervous System
Organization of the Mature
Brain
The Developing Brain
Organization of the
Mature Brain
Neuron: basic unit of nervous system
Cerebral hemispheres: right and left
halves of the cortex
Frontal cortex: area of the cortex that
controls personality and the ability to
carry out plans
5.2 The Developing Nervous System
The Neuron
Organization of the Brain
The Developing Brain
Brain originates in neural plate
Brain regions specialize early (e.g., left
hemisphere for verbal functioning;
frontal cortex for emotion)
“Flexible” brain organization shown by
children who recover from brain
damage.
5.2 The Developing Nervous System
5.3 Motor Development
The Infant’s Reflexes
Locomotion
Fine-Motor Skills
Maturation, Experience, and
Motor Skill
The Infant’s Reflexes
Newborns’ reflexes prepare them to
interact with the world
Some reflexes are important to survival
(e.g., rooting and sucking)
Some protect the newborn (e.g., blink
and withdrawal)
Some are foundations for later motor
behavior
5.3 Motor Development
Locomotion
Dynamic Systems Theory: motor
development involves many distinct
skills
Differentiation and integration of
component skills (posture and
balance, stepping, perceptual skill) is
necessary
5.3 Motor Development
Development of Locomotion
Fine-Motor Skills
Reaching and grasping becomes
more coordinated throughout
infancy.
Toddlers prefer to use one hand
and this preference becomes
stronger during the preschool
years.
5.3 Motor Development
Maturation, Experience,
and Motor Skill
Maturation is important: Studies
of Hopi infants.
Experience matters, too: African
infants and training studies
5.3 Motor Development
5.4 Sensory and
Perceptual Processes
Smell, Taste, and Touch
Hearing
Seeing
Integrating Sensory Information
Smell, Taste, and Touch
Even newborns can smell, taste,
and feel
These skills are useful in
recognizing parents and in
feeding
5.4 Sensory and Perceptual Processes
Hearing
Infants hear well, though not quite
as accurately as adults
Infants’ hearing is best for sounds
that have pitches in the range of
human speech
Infants use sound to locate objects
5.4 Sensory and Perceptual Processes
Seeing
Acuity is 20/400 at birth but improves
rapidly
Infants perceive colors by 3 or 4 months
Infants master perceptual constancies
early
Many cues are used to infer depth
Edges & motion are used to perceive
objects
5.4 Sensory and Perceptual Processes
Wavelength of Light
Shape Constancy
Perception of Objects
Use of Motion to Perceive
Objects
Infants’ Scanning of Faces
Face-like Stimuli
Integrating Sensory
Information
By 1 month, can integrate sight and
touch
By 4 months, can integrate sight and
sound
4- and 7-month-olds can match facial
appearance (boy or man) with sound
of voice
5.4 Sensory and Perceptual Processes
Infant Watching Videos
Time Spent Looking at Videos