Physical Development

Physical Development • Infancy and Toddlerhood Birth to 36 months of age • Psychology 333 • Child Psychology • Dennis Karpowitz

Pretest • The sense least developed in newborns is: • Touch B. Vision C. Hearing D. Smell • True (A) or False (B) Tom Cruise was right, postpartum depression is a figment of women’s imagination according to medical science.

3. Bowel and bladder control is typically achieved in years: • Birth to 1 year B. 1 – 2.5 years of age C. 2.5 – 3.5 years of age D. 3.5-4.5 years of age 4. True (A) or False (B) A strict program for enforcing bowel control works best for children.

The Newborn’s Capacities • Reflexes • Rooting reflex – breast feeding • Moro reflex – no known function • Tonic neck reflex - reaching • Stepping reflex – walking • Babinski reflex – toes spread • Reflexes disappear by about 6 months

Newborn Sensory Capacities • Sensitivity to touch, pain, temp • Present at birth • Newborn’s have taste preferences • Newborn’s can smell • Hearing: prefer complex sounds • Prefer high-pitched & expressive speech • Vision – least mature of senses • Limited visual acuity – best at 7-9” • Convergence – develops at 7-8 weeks.

Newborn States of Arousal • REM sleep – 50% of sleep – Very Active • Non-REM sleep – Quiet sleep • Drowsiness • Crying (hungry, wet, in pain, frustrated) • Peaceful wakefulness • Stimulus seeking wakefulness

Neonatal Behavioral Assessment • Brazelton NBAS • Reflexes, state changes, responsiveness to stimuli, etc. • Parenting style

Parental Transition • Mom – Hormonal changes • Postpartum blues – 10% more serious depression • Dad – needs to take part • Schedule changes • Slight decline in marital satisfaction • Flexible work place schedules help.

Body Growth • Changes in body size • Changes in body proportions • Changes in muscle-fat makeup • Early skeletal growth • Appearance of teeth Boys 2 to 20

Brain Development • Nearer adult size than other structures • Development of neurons • 100-200 billion • Synapses • Chemical transmission - lock and key • Myelinization - glial cells - electrical • Cerebral Cortex - 85% of brain weight • Regions • Lateralization.

Early Growth Factors • Heredity • Nutrition 2x greater than adults • 25% of calories for growth • Breast vs. bottle feeding • Chubby babies and risk • Malnutrition • 50% worldwide • Marasmus < nutrients • Kwashiorkor < protein • Emotional well-being.

States of Arousal • Sleep & Wakefulness • Becomes regular • Wakefulness increases • Fussiness and crying decline • Melatonin secretion greater at night @ 6 months • Sleeping through the night

Motor Development • Gross and fine • Cephalocaudal trend • Proximodistal trend • Increasingly complex • Brain-Environment interaction • Practice, practice, practice • Active problem solvers.

Cultural Variation • Movement Opportunities • A stimulating environment • Deliberate teaching varies

Fine Motor Development • Gross Fine • Voluntary reaching and grasping • Appears @ 3 months • Proprioception (within the body) • Ulnar grasp Pincer grasp • Don’t push beyond readiness • Marie Montessori.

Bowel and Bladder Control • 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 years of age • Muscle and nerve connection necessary • Identify signals from full bladder or rectum • Side with not against the child

Learning Capacities • Change in behavior through experience • Classical Conditioning UCS UCR CR CS Extinction E. g., Little Albert - white rat

Learning Capacities Cont. • Habituation and Dishabituation • Operant Conditioning SD OR S+ (or S-) Reinforcer (positive or negative) Punisher (restrictive or inflictive)

Learning Capacities Cont. • Imitation - Modeling • Fast • Efficient • Constant

SIDS • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome • Neglect? • Biological failure?

Perceptual Development • Hearing • First year - organizing sounds • 6 months screen out sounds, not useful • 2nd year, detect clauses and phrases

Perceptual Development Cont. • Vision • 3 months, color discrimination • 11 months, near adult level • Depth perception • Motion first • 2-3 months, binocular depth • 6 months, pictorial depth perception • Movement skills necessary to avoid falls

Perceptual Development Cont. • Vision Cont. • Pattern Perception - Newborns • Contrast Sensitivity • Combining pattern elements @ 4 months • Human Face @ 3 months

Object Perception • Size & shape constancy, innate • Separate objects • Boundaries

Intermodal Perception • Information from two or more modalities or sensory systems • Occurs from the beginning

Perceptual Develop. Theories • Gibson’s Differentiation Theory • Find the invariant features, e.g. borders • Discover affordances, action possibilities • Imposed Meaning through categorization • Both theories

Physical Development

Physical Development

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