CHAPTER 5: Perceptual & Motor Development Flashcards
Methods for Assessing Sensory Capabilities
- Preferential Looking
- Habituation/Dishabituation
- High-amplitude Sucking
Preferential Looking
more time looking at stimulus = preference
- new borns show preferences for upright faces and schematic face
Habituation / Dishabitutaion
Babies tend to respond more strongly to something new that has entered their environment, which ensures that they will continually add to their knowledge base.
Habituation = first present stimulus to baby, heart rate increases, then once familiar rates drop
Dishabituation = stimulus changes, infant starts reacting (they are aware)
High-Amplitude Sucking
- When an infant sucks faster than they did in the baseline phase, it triggers a stimulus
- If the infant finds the stimulus interesting, they can make it last by continuing to suck rapidly.
- Once the infant loses interest, the sucking rate goes down, and the stimulus is withdrawn
Hearing
- not fully developed at birth
- 3 days old can turn in general direction of sound but can’t find source
- infants prefer consonant tones to dissonant
Vision
- Newborns are nearsighted, they can scan surroundings, distinguish mothers face, perceive patterns
- 3 month olds can concentrate on interior of face
- 6 month olds: generalists (recognize other race/species)
- 9 month olds : specialists (superior recognition)
Vision & Autism
- scan faces in atypical manner
-tend not to look at specific features, and tend to look away from faces more often - therefore struggle in social interactions, both in terms of recognizing other people and in terms of accurately reading their facial expressions.
Visual (optical) Expansion
- The visual image of an object increases as the object comes toward us
- By 1 month infants will blink at expanding image as they can visual expansion cues
Binocular disparity
- cues about distance based on the differing views of the two eyes
- by 4 months, an infants visual cortex is able to compute the degree of disparity between two images and the perception of depth
Pictorial (monocular) cues
Cues about distance that can be perceived by one eye alone by 6 or 7 months
Pictorial Cues Include
- relative size
- texture gradient
- relative height
- interposition
Visual Cliff Studies
- shows that children as young as 6 weeks react with interest to differences in depth
- at 7 months, show wariness of deep side of the cliff
Taste & Smell
- Newborns prefer sweet tastes/smells (breast milk)
- averse to foul odour and sour, bitter and salty taste due to instinct/survival
Touch
- helps stimulate early physical growth
- newborns sensitive to pain
- babies explore objects with hands and mouth
Intermodal Perception
- the ability to perceive an object or event by more than one sensory system simultaneously
- making sense of light, sound, order, taste and tactile information by perceiving them as integrated wholes
Intersensory Redundancy Theory
- infants learn best when stimuli presented to multiple sensory modes
- ex: watching someone play an instrument: sight + sound
McGurk Effect
- occurs when visual information influences the way we hear
- “Ba” misheard as “Va” when lips appear to be saying “va”
- 5 month olds experience this illusion
The Process of Attention
Processes that allow people to control input from environment and regulate behaviour
1. orienting network
2. alerting network
3. executive network
Orienting Network
determines which stimuli will be processed
Alerting Network
- prepares infant to detect & respond to incoming stimuli
- ex: sound of parent coming home
Executive Network
- shift attention from one stimulus to another; ignore distracting stimuli
- ex: play board game without getting distracted by other toys
Types of ADHD
Inattentive: trouble staying focused; easily distracted
Hyperactive / Impulsive: interrupts, intrudes; can’t wait turn
Causes of ADHD
Genetic Factors - monozygotic twin concordance
- research suggest impairment in the connection between the frontal lobes and the limbic system
ADHD Sex Differences
Boys 4 times more likely to be diagnosed
Girls more often diagnosed with inattentive ADHD
ADHD Treatment
- stimulant medication (increases frontal lobe activity)
Gross Motor Skills
Involve large muscles of the body and make locomotion possible (crawling/walking)
2-3 years: can run, kick ball, climb on furniture
3-4 years: can ride tricycle, stand on one foot
4-5 years: can skip, throw ball overhand, run smoothly
5-6 years: ride bike without training wheels; gallop, skip, jump
Dynamic Systems Theory
Motor development stems from confluence of several factors:
- increase in strength
- balance / posture
- perceptual skills
- motivation
Progression of Locomotion
These are the average ages at which infants achieve the motor milestones such as sitting and standing with support and alone
Fine Motor Development
Involve the development and coordination of small muscles
2 years old: use spoon & fork; turn book pages
3 years old: feed self well
4 years old: draw person; dress self well
5 year old: print letter; tie shoes