Final Revision Flashcards
What is motor development and why is it important to study it?
Motor development is the process of change in movement ability over the lifespan. It’s studied to understand how motor behavior changes, the processes behind it, and influencing factors. It’s vital because motor skills influence daily function, learning, and social interactions.
Define and differentiate between development, growth, and maturation.
Development = all progressions and regressions over the lifespan
Growth = structural changes (e.g. increase in height or weight)
Maturation = functional changes (e.g. hormonal development or motor skill refinement)
Development includes both growth and maturation.
What do cephalocaudal and proximodistal developmental directions refer to?
Cephalocaudal: From head to tail (e.g., babies control their heads before walking)
Proximodistal: From center of body to periphery (e.g., control arms before fingers)
How do gross and fine motor skills differ? Give examples.
Gross: Large muscle groups (e.g., walking, jumping)
Fine: Small muscle groups (e.g., grasping a crayon, buttoning a shirt)
What is meant by differentiation and integration in motor development?
Differentiation: Movement becomes precise and controlled (e.g., toddler goes from unsteady to smooth walking)
Integration: Different motor systems work together (e.g., coordination of arms and legs in crawling)
What is the metaphor of the “Mountain of Motor Development”?
It represents progression (and sometimes regression) in motor skills. Each “period” is a stepping stone for the next—skill acquisition is cumulative.
Around what age do most infants begin walking independently?
Around 12 months (first birthday).
According to the Dynamic Systems Theory, what is needed for motor development?
Many distinct skills need to be coordinated—including posture, balance, stepping, and perception—through differentiation and integration.
What is habituation, and what does it reveal about infant senses?
Habituation is when attention decreases as something becomes familiar. It shows infants can detect and differentiate stimuli early on.
How does handedness develop in toddlers?
It begins with preference and becomes stronger during preschool years. It’s influenced by both heredity and culture.
What sensory abilities do newborns already have?
Smell: Can identify familiar scents (e.g. mother).
Taste: Prefer sweet.
Touch: Sensitive to pain and contact.
Describe the development of visual acuity and color perception in infants.
At birth: Visual acuity is 20/200–20/400
Rapid improvement follows
By 3–4 months: Color perception becomes similar to adults
At what age do infants typically begin recognizing familiar faces, and showing racial preference?
3 months: Recognize family.
9 months: White infants start recognizing faces of their own race more, indicating early racial preference.
What is perceptual constancy and when does it develop?
The understanding that an object’s shape, size, brightness, or color remains the same despite changes in viewing conditions. By 4 months, infants show these abilities.
How does ADHD relate to motor and perceptual development?
ADHD reflects issues in attentional processes—making it harder for children to focus, which can affect motor learning and task execution.
How does attention change with age, and how can we help children improve it?
Attention becomes more focused and selective. We can help by:
1.Teaching attention strategies.
2.Giving reminders.
3. Reducing distractions.
Imagine a baby is learning to crawl but can’t yet control finger movements. What developmental directions are demonstrated?
Cephalocaudal (head-to-toe) and Proximodistal (center-to-periphery).
You observe a child climbing stairs, using hands for balance, and adjusting foot placement based on visual cues. What motor concepts are being used?
Integration (coordination of motor systems), Gross motor control, and Perceptual feedback.
Why might a 4-month-old stare longer at a face than a bullseye pattern?
Infants prefer faces and are developing complex perceptual processing; they use motion, texture, and aligned edges to recognize meaningful patterns.
When is the human visual system fully developed?
It is not fully developed at birth and matures over the first several years of life.
How does the cornea change after birth?
It is flat at birth and becomes steeper with age.
At what age does lens accommodation become regular?
By 2-3 months; almost adult-like range by 6 months.
When is the fovea fully differentiated?
Around 4 months after birth.
What is the critical period for vision development in humans?
From birth to approximately 7–9 years of age.
