Sensorimotor Development Flashcards
What are neonatal reflexes?
Rigid and stereotyped responses to sensory stimuli.
What is the reason behind neonatal reflexes?
- Some attend to obvious physical needs.
- Others may be vestiges of behaviours which were important in previous stages of evolution.
What are two examples of vestiges of behaviours which were important in previous stages of evolution?
- The palmar grasp reflex
- The Moro reflex
Up until what age do most neonatal reflexes gradually disappear?
Up until the age of six months.
What sometimes re-appear in adults who have experienced brain damage?
Neonatal reflexes
What is an example of a neonatal reflex that could re-appear in adults who have experienced brain damage?
The Babinski reflex
What happens to some reflexes, causing them to become less stereotyped?
They adapt to different situations.
What is an example of a reflex adapting to different situations?
The palmar grasp reflex varying depending on the exact nature of whatever triggers it.
What happens to some reflexes once they have disappeared?
They re-appear in a modified form
What are two examples of reflexes that have disappeared, then re-appear in a modified form?
Stepping and swimming reflexes.
When does the stepping reflex begin to disappear?
In the first three to six months of a baby’s life.
Why do babies’ legs become heavier during the first three to six months of their lives?
Because they gain substantial amounts of weight.
What suggests a heavy leg weight being the cause of the prevention of the emergence of the stepping reflex?
The fact that infants who are heaviest tend to experience the fastest disappearance of the stepping reflex.
