CH 5.3: Motor Development

Question 1

locomotion

Answer 1

moving about in the world

Question 2

fine-motor vs gross-motor skills

Answer 2

fine: activities involving small muscle groups (grasping, holding)
gross: coordination of large muscle groups (walking, crawling)

Question 3

5 common newborn reflexes

Answer 3

Babinski: a baby’s toes fan out when the sole of the foot is stroked from heel to toe
Palmer: baby grasps object placed in hand
Rooting: baby turns its head and opens its mouth when cheek is stroked
Sucking
Stepping

Question 4

3 things reflexes do for babies

Answer 4

-prepare for new diet of life-sustaining milk
-protect from danger
-serves as foundation for larger motor activity

Question 5

what do reflexes indicate about babies?

Answer 5

if their nervous system is working properly

Question 6

most children can climb steps, walk backward and kick a ball by what age?

Answer 6

24 months

Question 7

what can affect infant motor development?

Answer 7

climate, medical complications, massages

Question 8

dynamic systems theory

Answer 8

…says that motor development involves many distinct skills reorganized multiple times to meet demands of tasks

Question 9

what did Canada ban due to babies sustaining seious injuries from them?

Answer 9

infant walkers that support babies before they can walk on their own

Question 10

why is it so hard for newborns to stay upright?

Answer 10

due to their cephalocaudal growth; they’re top heavy

Question 11

after going through what period can infants better distribute their gravity?

Answer 11

“catching up” period: they put on a ton of weight quickly

Question 12

what 2 cues do infants use to adjust their posture?

Answer 12

vision and an inner-ear mechanism

Question 13

what key part of walking was proven to already have been developed in babies before they could walk?

Answer 13

alternate stepping motion

Question 14

infants use what to judge if an area is suitable for walking?

Answer 14

perceptual factors

Question 15

mastery of intricate motions requires what?

Answer 15

differentiation and integration

Question 16

differentiation vs integration

Answer 16

diff: mastery of component skills
integ: combining component skills in proper sequence

Question 17

when can infants successfully (but clumsily) reach for objects?

Answer 17

4 months

Question 18

around what age do babies position their hands better to better grasp objects & with their thumbs?

Answer 18

7-8 months

Question 19

when do babies start eating with a spoon?

Answer 19

12 months

Question 20

do young babies prefer one hand over the other?

Answer 20

no

Question 21

when does handedness develop and then become hard to reverse

Answer 21

preschool years; kindergarten

Question 22

what determines handedness in children?

Answer 22

heredity and environment

Question 23

big picture for locomotion and fine-motor skills for a baby’s first year of life

Answer 23

progress is RAPID

Question 24

what was thought to affect a baby’s onset for walking but a study showed it didnt?

Answer 24

a restrictive environment (the babies secured to cradleboards still started walking at the same age as babies who weren’t kept on cradleboards