Ch.5 Flashcards
average weight and length on newborn
7.5 lb; 20 in
what is the most rapid growth occur at
first 2 years; more rapid than any other time and occurs in spurts
what occurs during the first two years of life
the body begins to catch up in growth, so that the head is only 1/5 of body length
what are the four principles that govern growth
cephalocaudal, proximodistal, hierarchical integration, independence of systems
cephalocaudal principle
pattern of growth from head and upper body parts to the rest of the body (head to tail)
the cephalocaudal principle states that (what growth occurs before what(
we gain visual abilities (head) before walking (tail)
proximodistal
development from center of body outwards (near to far)
the proximodistal principle states that (what growth occurs before what(
trunk develops before arms and legs
learn how to use arms before fingers
principle of hierarchical integration
simple skills typically develop separately and ind. but are later integrated into more complex ones
hierarchical integration states that complex skills such as ____
grasping an object requires infant to first learn how to control and integrate the individual fingers (simple task)
principle of the independence of systems
dif body systems grow at dif rates
how many neurons do newborns have at birth
100-200 billion
explain neural connections at birth vs as you grow older
of connections and network of neurons becomes more complex over time
little connections at birth but complexity of neural networks and number of connections increases over time
TF: babies are born with just the right amount of neurons that they need
false; born with more than they need
synaptic pruning enhances…
certain capabilities, increases sufficiency of NS
how does synaptic pruning occur
experiences don’t stimulate neural connections (synapses) which causes these unnecessary/unused neurons to be eliminated
what happens to the remaining neurons when synaptic pruning occurs?
their connections expand or are eliminated
When neurons are repositioned, they are arranged by ____
function
areas where neurons are placed (their functions and when they are most developed)
subcortical levels: HR, breathing (most developed at birth)
cerebral cortex: higher order functioning, thinking, reasoning (most developed over time)
shaken baby syndrome
brain rotates causing blood vessels to tear and destroys connection between neurons
effects of shaken baby syndrome
blindness, auditory impairments, speech disabilities, behavioral disorders, death
when is the brain’s plasticity the greatest
first years of life
what impacts the size of neurons and the structure of neural connections? this in turn affects what?
sensory experiences; size of neurons and structure of connections affect brain structure and weight
barren environments ____ ____ development
impede brain development
study of cats
when goggles that restricted vision for vert/horiz lines were place on cats, and they were removed as an adult, they still couldn’t see those lines.
however, when goggles were placed on adult cats; they could still see lines when the goggles were removed
sensitive period
specific, limited time where you’re susceptible to env. inf that relate particularly to facet of development
what is one of the neonate’s major missions; something that takes time and effort to do
to integrate sep. behaviors (ex. to sleep thru the night)
what are the ways in which behavior is integrated
rhythms
rhythms
repetitive, cyclical patterns of behavior
examples of rhythms
changes from wakefulness to sleep, sucking, breathing
state
a major body rhythm: degree of awareness it displays to both internal and external stimulation
weight and height at 1 and 2
1: 32 in, 22
2: 36, 30
what body part develops more rapidly than others
head
cortical regions develop as
capacities develop
why is the cerebral cortex plastic
areas not committed to certain functions, high capacity for learning, early experiences influence organization and function
experience during sensitive periods improves
efficiency of neural circuits
early and extreme sensory deprivation reesults ins
permanent brain damage and loss of functions
states include various behaviors to
waking up/sleeping like fussing, cryting, alertness
a change in state requires a change
in the amount of stimulation to get baby’s attention
a change in state results in a change in
(3 months vs after)
electrical brain waves
3 months: irregular brain waves
after 3 months: more mature and regular
what does it mean to “sleep like a baby”
sleep comes in spurts of 2 hrs, followed by wakefulness
sleep for infants: 1 week vs 16
1: start to sleep more at night and stay up during the day
16: 6 cont. hrs during the day, regular patterns of naps during the day
what is REM?
rapid eye movement found in adults and older children; associated with dreaming
REM sleep of infants vs adults
infants: 1/2 of sleep
adults: 20% of sleep
TF:active sleep increases as you age
false
do babies dream
although they have active sleep period of eye movement back n forth, high hr, reespiration, etc., this is dif from REM (they’re not dreaming)
how do we know that babies don’t dream, and when do they?
limited experiences to dream abt, brain waves dif from adults dreaming
3-4 months (brain waves similar to adults)
what is the purpose of REM in infants and why is it important?
a means for the brain to stimulate itself (autostimulation); this is important because it activates NS – infants spend little time alert
sleep patterns are ______ but _____ influences them
predetermined; environment and cultural practices
SIDS
sudden infant death syndrome: unexplained death of healthy infants in their sleep
what do pediatricians recommend to prevent sids
back to sleep guideline
sleeping with pacifier
reasons why babies are immobile
heavy, huge heads that they can’t lift
- short limbs that impede movement
- fatty - no muscle so they lack strength
reflexes
involuntary, unlearned, organized, automatic responses that occur in the presence of certain stimuli
do some reflexes remain throughout our lives?
yes, eye blinking reflex!
why do reflexes disappear?
increased voluntary behavior as babies gain more control over their muscles OR reflexes are the foundation for more complex behaviors (these complex behaviors encompass these reflexes) because reflexes stimulate parts of brain resp. for complex behavior
example of how reflexes contribute to complex behaviors
exercise of the stepping reflex stimulates a part of the brain’s cortex that can help develop the ability to walk
training of walking led to
stimulation of stepping reflex>stimulates part of the cortex >earlier locomotioin
all reflexes are predetermined and universal throughout infants but there are
cultural variations in their display
