TOPIC 2 - Motor Development Flashcards
For example, babies learn to walk only when maturation of the nervous system allows them to control certain leg muscles, when they want to move, when their legs have grown strong enough to support their weight, and when they have sufficient balance control to support their body on one leg.
Motor development
is the result of many converging factors: the development of the nervous system, the body’s physical properties and its possibilities for movement, the goal the child is motivated to reach, and availability of environmental support for the skill.
new behavior
When infants are motivated to do something, they might create a ______
new motor behavior
To develop motor skills, infants must ____ something in their environment that motivates them to act and use their ____ to fine-tune their movements
perceive
perceptions
infants assemble motor skills for perceiving and acting.
dynamic systems theory
imagine that you offer a new toy to a baby named Gabriel (Thelen & others, 1993). There is no exact program that can tell Gabriel ahead of time how to move his arm and hand and fingers to grasp the toy. Gabriel must adapt to his goal-grasping the toy-and the context. From his sitting position, he must make split- second adjustments to extend his arm, holding his body steady so that his arm and torso don’t plow into the toy. Muscles in his arm and shoulder contract and stretch in a host of combinations, exerting a variety of forces. He improvises a way to reach out with one arm and wrap his fingers around the toy.
dynamic systems theory
motor development is not a ____ in which genes dictate the unfolding of a sequence of skills over time. Rather, the infant ______ puts together a skill to achieve a goal within the constraints set by the infant’s body and environment.
passive process
actively
are all working together as part of an ever- changing system.
Nature and nurture
the infant and the environment
are important examples. Both have survival value for newborn mammals, who must find a mother’s breast to obtain nourishment.
Rooting and sucking reflexes
are genetically carried survival mechanisms. They allow infants to respond adaptively to their environment before they have had the opportunity to learn.
Reflexes
are built-in reactions to stimuli; they govern the newborn’s movements, which are automatic and beyond the newborn’s control.
Reflexes
occurs when newborns automatically suck an object placed in their mouth.
sucking reflex
This reflex enables newborns to get nourishment before they have associated a nipple with food and also serves as a self-soothing or self-regulating mechanism.
sucking reflex
occurs when the infant’s cheek is stroked or the side of the mouth is touched. In response, the infant turns its head ______ the side that was touched in an apparent effort to find something to suck.
rooting reflex
toward
which occurs in response to a sudden, intense noise or movement. When startled, the newborn ____ its back, throws ____ its head, and flings out its arms and legs. Then the newborn rapidly draws in its arms and legs.
Moro reflex
arches
back
By the end of the_____, the grasping reflex _____ and the infant shows a more ____ grasp.
third month
diminishes
voluntary
which occurs when something touches the infant’s palms. The infant responds by _____ tightly.
Grasping reflex
grasping
is a dynamic process that is linked with sensory information in the skin, joints, and muscles, which tell us where we arein space; in vestibular organs in the inner ear that regulate balance and equilibrium; and in vision and hearing
Posture
is more than just holding still and straight.
Posture
By about ______ of age, infants usually learn to pull themselves up and hold on to a chair, and they often can stand alone by about ____ months of age.
8 to 9 months
10 to 12q
also develops gradually during the first year of life
Standing
______ of age, babies can sit while supported on a lap or an infant seat, but they cannot sit independently until they are _____ of age
2 months
6 or 7 months
they can hold their heads erect, and soon they can lift their heads while prone.
Within a few weeks
allows the infant to gain contact with objects that were previously out of reach and to initiate interaction with parents and other adults, thereby promoting language development
Walking
Researchers have found that alternating leg movements occur during the _____ and at ____
fetal period and at birth
To walk upright, the baby must be able both to ____ on one leg as the other is swung forward and to shift weight from one leg to the other.
balance
are closely linked, especially inwalking upright
Locomotion and postural control
involve finely tuned movements.
fine motor skills
involve large muscle activity
gross motor skills
Grasping a toy, using a spoon, buttoning a shirt, or any activity that requires finger dexterity demonstrates ____
fine motor skills
2 types of grasps
Palmar grasp
Pincer grip
toward the end of the first year, infants also grasp small objects with their thumb and forefinger
pincer grip
infants grip with the whole hand
palmar grasp
Their grasping system is very ___
Flexible
They vary their grip on an object depending on its _____, as well as the size of their own hands relative to the object’s size
size, shape, and texture
Infants grip small objects with their _____(and sometimes their middle finger too), but they grip large objects with ____of the fingers of one hand or _____.
thumb and forefinger
all
both hands
is necessary for the infant to coordinate grasping
Perceptual-motor coupling
are more likely to use vision as a guide
8-month-olds
8-month-olds are more likely to use ____ as a guide
vision
At different stages of development, ____ use different perceptual systems to coordinate grasping.
infants
____ infants rely greatly on touch to determine how they will grip an object
Four-month-old
Four-month-old infants rely greatly on ____ to determine how they will grip an object
touch
At different stages of development, infants use different _____to coordinate grasping.
perceptual systems
