Week 2 - Motor Development Flashcards
1
Q
Two types of movement
A
- Reflex
- Voluntary Movement
2
Q
Reflex
A
- Fixed, automatic, triggered in response to a specific sensory stimulus
- Patellar reflex
3
Q
Voluntary Movement
A
- Purposeful, goal-directed
- Initiated entirely within the central nervous system
- Performance improves with practice
4
Q
Examples of Reflexes
A
- Rooting reflex
Newborn’s mouth moves toward brush on cheek - Grasp reflex
Newborns grab on to anything in their hand - Stepping reflex
Baby will walk when lowered on surface - Moro reflex
Arms move to side when baby is unsupported
5
Q
Two Theories of Motor Development
A
- Maturational theory
- Dynamic systems theory
6
Q
Maturational Theory
A
- Motor development depends entirely on the development of the cortex
- As the cortex develops, it begins to override these early reflexes
7
Q
Support for Maturational Theory
A
- Practice has little effect on the age at which children begin walking
- Reduced motor experience does not appear to affect
onset of walking - Extreme deprivation may result in motor delays, but they can be reversed
8
Q
Challenges to the Maturational Theory
A
- Some research does suggest that experience affects
motor development- Restrictive parenting may delay the onset of walking
- Back to Sleep Campaign
9
Q
Back to Sleep Campaign
A
___
10
Q
Newborn Walking Reflex Change
A
- Goes away at 8 weeks
- See upright walking again (with help!) at around 5 months of age
11
Q
Experiment to see why newborn walking stops
A
- Observed their stepping (walking) reflex at 2, 4, and
6 weeks of age - Counted the number of steps they took in one minute
- Observed their arousal level (Rated on a 6-point scale
from 1 (asleep) to 6 (crying hard)) - Got detailed measures of their bodies
12
Q
Result of newborn walking experiment
A
- Number of steps decreased from 2 to 6 weeks
- Arousal predicted the number of steps at each age (did not change at different ages)
- Infants gained weight most rapidly between 2 and 4 weeks
- Infants who showed the greatest weight gain showed the greatest stepping decrease at 4-weeks
13
Q
Followup experiment of newborn walking to see if weight gain really was the reason
A
- Used data collected in Study 1 to figure out what the average weight gain between 4 and 6 weeks was 163 grams
- Mind 4 tiny weight bands that could be strapped around infants’ thighs and calfs
- Infants stepped twice: Once with and once without the weights
(also did other experiment with water, stepped in and out of water; water made baby weigh less)
14
Q
Results of followup of newborn walking experiment
A
- weight gain explains why newborn walking stops
- inconsistent with maturational theory
15
Q
Dynamic Systems Theory
A
Development of complex behavior must be understood in terms of the interactions between all of the components involved in executing that action
16
Q
According to the Dynamic Systems Theory, what parts of processes are involved in movement?
A
- Physical properties of the body
- Perception
- Navigating an environment
- What is the context for and the goal of the movement
17
Q
Voluntary Movement in Newborns
A
Can move head only if supported
18
Q
Voluntary Movement in 2-3 week olds
A
Lift chin off floor
19
Q
Voluntary Movement in 5-10 week olds
A
Lift head and chin off floor
20
Q
Voluntary Movement in 3 month olds
A
- Can hold steady while propping themselves up on arms or while being held by a grown up
- Rolling over!
21
Q
Voluntary Movement in 6-7 month olds
A
Sitting without support
22
Q
Variability in Motor Milestones
A
- sequence of the stages is not universal
- some infants skip stages
- often infants partake in different stages at the same time (continuously discovering new ways to do things faster but don’t necessarily give up on old ones immediately)
23
Q
Posture-specific learning
A
- What babies learn at one locomotor stage may not transfer to another - The development of locomotor skills reflects changes in balance, strength, and coordination - Perceptual information will also change
24
Q
Visual Cliff Experiment
A
- glass table with checkered part and glass only part (with checkers on the floor –> illusion of cliff
- 7-8 mo
25
Visual Cliff Experiment Results
- Babies have to have locomotor experience
to learn not to go over the cliff
- more experienced crawlers are more likely to avoid the cliff than less experienced ones
26
Mind the Gap Experiment
- Tested infants at gaps of different sizes
- Toy on far side of gap and infants were encouraged to reach or crawl across it
- 9 mo, experienced sitters, less experienced crawlers
27
Mind the Gap Experiment Results
- Infants successfully avoided risky gaps when sitting
| - They did not avoid them when crawling
28
Living on the Edge Experiment
- Tested infants on an apparatus that allows steps to be made different heights
- 1 yo who were either experienced crawlers or novice walkers
29
Living on the Edge Experiment Results
- Crawlers avoided more risky steps (cliffs) than did walkers
- Days of walking experience predicted walkers avoidance of risky steps, crawling experience did not
30
Why would you want to learn to walk? Experiment
- Observed crawlers and walkers in a playroom with toys
31
Learning how to walk results based on walking age
As walking age increases:
• Take more steps
• Covered more distance
• Fell less
32
Learning how to walk general results (walking vs. crawling)
- Walkers spent more time in motion, covered more distance, and took more steps
- Accounting for activity differences, walkers do not fall more
33
How do infants learn to walk?
Practice
34
How Do Caregivers Help Children with Motor Action?
- General motivation and security
- Motor experience
- Providers of information
35
Social Referencing
- looking at the emotions of adults to determine their own action
- Infants approach and avoid novel tasks, objects, and people based on caregiver’s expressions of emotion
36
Cues that Guide Motor Behavior
- Perceptual
| - Social
37
Do Infants Rely on Social or Perceptual Information when Making Motor Decisions? Experiment
- 18-month-olds; Experienced walkers
Phase 1
• Determined infant's ability to walk down a slope
• For each infant, determined safe, risky, and borderline slopes
Phase 2
• Moms provided encouragement or discouragement while babies walked down slopes
38
Do Infants Rely on Social or Perceptual Information when Making Motor Decisions? Results
Infants nearly always:
• Walked down safe slopes
• Never walked down risky slopes
• Borderline slopes: more likely to attempt if mom encouraged, less likely if mom discouraged
39
Walking and Social Interactions
- Observed infants in a play space with toys once a month
- When infants were crawling: watched others communicate more than when walking
- When infants began walking: made more bids for interaction than when crawling
40
Walking and Language
- Followed infants from 10 to 13 months of age
- Parents were emailed every two weeks
- Asked to report on:
• Locomotion milestones
• Receptive language
• Expressive language
- Found language improved as milestones improved
