The New-born and Sensorimotor Development Flashcards
what does the altricial human new-born have?
immature motor abilities- this means they require care and feeding to survive due to their helpless state
reasons for altriciality of humans:
- large head size of the foetus
- limitations in the metabolic capacity of the pregnant mother
- limitations in the hip width of the mother
phylogenetic
relating to evolution of species
maturation
development according to a genetic timetable
what are neonatal reflexes used as?
a stepping tool to later develop locomotion and help the new-born survive
why are neonatal reflexes important
for stimulating senses through sensory input, e.g., stepping reflex provides tactile input to advance the brain
examples of neonatal reflexes
sucking
rooting
respiratory occlusion
stepping
moro reflex
palmar grasp
plantar grasp
what does the presence of neonatal reflexes indicate?
they are either innate or learned at birth
- biologically programmed from evolution?
what does the maturational account believe?
organisms follow a ‘specific genetic blueprint’ that unfolds to allow for specific behaviours
how is the maturational account an extreme nativist developmental theory?
it does not consider any influence of the environment
what do maturationists believe about the u-shaped development of motor abilities?
reflexes wane after 2 months and later re-emerge as a more specific and controlled form of intentional motor behaviours
what do maturationists appeal to?
fixed motor milestones, and the belief that u-shaped motor development represents brain maturation
maturationists: main causal factor in development
phylogeny
maturationists: development characterised by
biological maturation
behaviourists: main causal factor in development
environment
behaviourists: development characterised by
behavioural reinforcement
what evidence did gesell and ames find of fixed trajectories of development?
- cephalocaudal direction (control of head, torso, legs, feet)
- proximodistal direction (shoulders, hands, fingers)
what was thelen’s alternative explanation of u-shaped motor development?
stepping does not appear, but it re-emerges in another context: as stepping wanes, supine kicking increases
what does thelen believe?
external factors such as changes in body weight and limbs can determine motor abilities, rather than gesell’s belief of cortical maturation
what type of theory does thelen believe?
developmental systems theory- argues for a role of both environment and physical changes in the body
what does adolph’s ecological sensorimotor approach encourage?
the importance of how motor movements are dependent on the surrounding environment (physical body, social and cultural environments, and individual differences between infants)
sensorimotor development- balance: what is optic flow?
tells adults how they are moving relative to their environment in order to regulate their balance
sensorimotor development- balance: what did lee & aronson find?
infants who had just learned how to stand upright would fall over in the ‘swinging room’
this shows use of visual and sensory information to control balance
sensorimotor development- locomotion: what did gibson & walk find?
infants would use sensory information to avoid the ‘perceptually dangerous’ drop off after 6 weeks
argues that the sensorimotor experience is vital in teaching infants the ‘affordances’ of locomotion depth cues
sensorimotor development- locomotion: what did adolph find about infants’ locomotion?
- children who had just learned to crawl made riskier decisions
- experienced crawlers were more careful
- this experience did not transfer once they begun to walk
indicated that visual cues for locomotion are different when standing and crawling
sensorimotor development- locomotion: what did adolph conclude?
sensorimotor learning is specific to the sensorimotor context it is experienced in
sensorimotor development- influences of culture: where is the majority of research undertaken?
the majority of research on motor development is undertaken on infants in north american or european cities
sensorimotor development- influences of culture: what can influence motor development?
differences in cultural child-rearing
- cradling in central asia can delay motor development to restricting infant movement
- infants of jamaican parents began to walk 1-2 months earlier due to different handling practices which encourage sitting and standing postures earlier
- the back to sleep campaign introduced motor delays as it made it more difficult for infants to navigate motor movement in different postures
what drives motor development?
- phylogenetic factors
- physical changes
- sensorimotor learning
- culture
- social environment
what phylogenetic factors drive motor development?
altriciality, cortical maturation, neonatal reflexes
what physical changes drive motor development?
weight, size, limbs, posture
how does sensorimotor learning drive motor development?
specific postural cues
how does culture drive motor development?
different child-rearing practices
how does social environment drive motor development?
social cues to behaviour, responses, and context
what does piaget’s sensorimotor period argue?
the first period, between 0-2 years, argues that the first stages of cognitive development are based in sensorimotor abilities
