Exam 1 Themes

Question 1

Nature & Nurture

Answer 1

1. Sensitive periods & Experience-expectant plasticity
   - Genes expect some environmental input to develop properly
   Ex: Cataracts in infants and visual system
2. Depth Cues
   - Nature: Some depth cues are present soon after birth, almost innate (Dynamic: Looming, Motion Parallax)
   - Nurture: Some depth cues require visual experience to develop (Monocular/Pictoral: Pattern Density, Interposition, Relative Size)
   - Ex: Visual cliff

Question 2

Active Child

Answer 2

1. “Evolution of action” - “learning to learn to move”
   - Children learn how to flexibly solve problems in their environment
   - Children try new strategies to navigate their environment even if one strategy works well
   Ex: Kate Adolph’s Visual Cliff
   - Children do not only stick to one way to trespass cliff or slope

Question 3

Stability & Change

Answer 3

1. Perceptual Narrowing
   - Newborns, 3 mths, 6 mths, and 9 mths keep some abilities while losing others
   - Brain reorganizes to prioritize sensitivity to stimuli that is seen frequently/important
   Ex: human v. monkey faces, top-heavy vs. bottom faces, intact v. scrambled

Question 4

Individual Differences

Answer 4

1. Motor Milestones
   - Variability in timing
   - Variability in how some reach milestones
   -Variability between and within infants
   Ex: Crawling styles: one-legged scoot, bear crawl, hands-&-knees
   Ex: Kate Adolph - some crawl for a few weeks then stop, some skip crawling and go straight to cruising

Question 5

Sociocultural Contexxt

Answer 5

Cultural variability in Motor Milestones
- Ex: Sitting without support @ 5 mths
- Cameroon: 92%
- Italy: 0%
- United States: 17%
- infant-supported furniture v. nonsupportive furniture
- Ex: Mali - stretching and suspension exercises
- cultural value on motor development

Question 6

Mechanisms

Answer 6

1. Gibson’s Theory
   - Affordances: fit between environment & ability
   - Infants learn to perceive and act on affordances
   - Visual Cliff: what does the deeper and shallow side afford?
2. Dynamic-Systems Theory
   - Children integrative system
   - Dynamic as system and environment
   - “Evolution” of action

Question 7

Children’s Welfare

Answer 7

1. Teratogens
   - Cannabis
   - Alcohol
   - Nicotine/Smoking
2. Bed-sharing
   - AAP guidelines
   - New Zealand
   - high-risk v. safer bed-sharing