PSYC 335 Developmental Psychology I Session 7 Development in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education

2014/2015 – 2016/2017

PSYC 335 Developmental Psychology I

Session 7 – Development in infancy-Part I

Lecturer: Dr . Joana Salifu Y endork Department of Psychology Contact Information: jyendork@ug.edu.gh

godsonug.wordpress.com/blog

Session Overview

Slide 2

• The period of infancy cover the day of birth until the

individual is between 18-24 months depending on the literature you consult. During this stage, there are changes in the physical, cognitive and socio-emotional domains of

• development. This session provides overview of the

significant changes that occur in the physical and cognitive domains of development during the infancy stage.

Session Outline

Slide 3

The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:

• Physical development: Patterns of physical growth
• Physical development: Physical growth and development
• Physical development: Motor development
• Physical development: Other physical development
• Cognitive development

Reading List

Slide 4

• Read Chapter 4 of Developmental Psychology: Childhood and

adolescence, Shaffer & Kipp (2014); and Chapters 4 & 5 of Development through the lifespan, Berk (2006)

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• pic One

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:

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PA TTERNS OF PHYSICAL GROWTH

Physical development: Patterns of physical growth

• Infancy: birth to 18-24 months
• 1. Cephalocaudal pattern –
• Sequences in which early growth occurs from top to

bottom

• A large part of total body is occupied by head during

prenatal development and early infancy

– E.g., the top parts of the head—the eyes and brain—grow faster than the lower parts, such as the jaw.

• Motor development also proceed according to the

cephalocaudal principle.

– E.g., infants can use their hands long before they can crawl or walk

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Physical development: Patterns of physical growth

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• 2. Proximodistal pattern
• Sequence in which growth starts at center of body

and moves toward the extremities

– Eg. Infants use their whole hands before they can control several fingers

• 3. Simple to complex: sequence of mastery of skills

progresses from simple task to complex ones

– Eg. Eating with finger/spoon and fork

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• pic Two

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT: PHYSICAL

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GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Physical development: Physical growth and development

• Weight:

– First several days, infants lose 5-7% of body weight, before adjusting to feeding by sucking, swallowing and digesting – Gain 5-6 oz per week during first month – Double birth weight by 4 months – By age 1, they are 3 times their birth weight

• Height:

– Grow about 1 inch/month – By age 1, they are 1.5 their birth length – Growth slow down in 2 year

• By 2 years, infants weigh 26-32 pounds (11.3-14.5 Kg),

32-35 inches tall

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Physical development: Physical growth and development

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• Brain development
• Brain undergo rapid growth and remarkable changes
• At ďiƌ

th, the ŶeǁďoƌŶ’s ďƌaiŶ is aďout Ϯ5 peƌĐeŶt of its adult weight.

• Most brain cell connections are made in 1st years
• By the second birthday

, the brain is about 75 percent

• f its adult weight.
• Right hemisphere (negative emotions, intense

emotions, creativity) has growth spurt in first 1½ years, and is dominant for first 3 years.

Physical development: Physical growth and development

Slide 11

• Brain development
• Brain grows in sequential fashion from bottom to top, or

from least complex part (brainstem) to more complex area (cortex).

• From bottom up:

– Brainstem – impulses and reflexes. – Cerebellum – behind brainstem: coordinate and regulate muscular activities – Midbrain – top of brainstem: movement and balance – Limbic – central part of the brain: emotions and memory – Cortex – top laLJ eƌ: ͞Edž eĐutiǀ e Đ

• Ŷtƌol͟-includes language, decision

making, planning – Cerebral cortex: least developed at birth and keeps developing through adolescence. More sensitive to experiences than other parts of the brain

Abstract thought Concrete thought Logic/Reasoning Affiliation Attachment Contextual Memory Sexual Behavior Emotional Reactivity Arousal Appetite/Satiety Motor Regulation Blood Pressure Sleep T emperature Heart Rate Breathing

FOREBRAIN

Cortex

“Executive Center”

MIDBRAIN

Limbic

“Emotional Center”

HINDBRAIN

Cerebellum & Brainstem

“Alarm Center”

Physical development: Physical growth and development

Slide 13

• Brain Development: Windows of Opportunity
• Periods when particular experiences are especially

important or when some skills are more easily developed.

– By age 2 – emotional control – By age 2 – social attachment – By age 5 – motor development – Birth to 10 years – language skills – Birth to 4 years – visual development – Birth to 4 years – math and logic skills – 3 to 10 years – music

Brain Development: Windows of Opportunity

Slide 14

Physical development: Physical growth and development

Slide 15

• Early Experience and the Brain
• Are the effects of deprived environments reversible?
• The aŶsǁ eƌ is ͞YES͟
• The brain demonstrates both flexibility/plasticity and resilience

– Plasticity refers to the ability of the brain to modify its own structure and function following changes within the body or in the external environment

• Before birth genes determine basic nerve connections
• After birth, environmental experiences determines brain

development

– Eg., sights, sounds, smells, touches, language, and eye contact help shape the ďƌaiŶ’s Ŷeuƌal Đ

• ŶŶeĐtioŶs

Physical development: Physical growth and development

Slide 16

• Two basic needs of the developing brain
• Safety:

– PƌoteĐt ďaďLJ ’s head fƌoŵ falls aŶd otheƌ iŶjuƌies ďeĐ ause of

• ngoing development

– And infants head should not be shaken

• Shaken baby syndrome – brain swelling and bleeding
• Positive Experiences

– Positive child-caregiver relationship – Nutrition – Mental health services for parents – Prevention of abuse and neglect

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• pic Three

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT: MOTOR

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DEVELOPMENT

Physical development: Motor development

• How do infants develop motor skills; which skills develop at what

time?

• Dynamic systems theory (Thelen, 1989)
• Movement is produced from the interaction of multiple sub-systems

within the person, task and environment

• All sub-systems spontaneously self-organize and interact to produce

efficient movement solution for each task

• No sub-system is most important
• Critical change in one sub-system can cause the whole system to

shift, resulting in a new motor behaviour

Slide 18

Physical development: Motor development

Slide 19

• Dynamic systems theory
• Person:

– Infant must be able to perceive and be motivated to reach out. – use their perceptions to fine-tune their movements – the development of the nervous system – the ďodLJ’s phLJ siĐ al pƌopeƌties – infant change movement patterns to fit new task by exploring and selecting possible movement options – MasteƌiŶg a ŵotoƌ skill ƌ eƋuiƌ es the iŶfaŶt’s aĐtiǀ e effoƌts

• T

ask: goal to achieve (eg. Picking a favourite toy)

• Environment:

– possibilities for movement, – the environmental support for the skill

Gross motor skills

Slide 20

• Skills that involve large-ŵusĐle aĐtiǀities, suĐh as ŵoǀiŶg oŶe’s

arms, walking, sitting, standing

• Require posture control, lacking in newborns

– Within few weeks, infant can lift head while on stomach – 2 months: sit while supported in lap or infant seat; – 6-7 months: sit up independently; – 8 months: pull self to standing position while holding on to support – 10-12 months - can stand alone

• First year: ability to walk easily

– Timing of reaching this milestone can vary by 2-4 months – Some infants do not follow the standard sequence of motor accomplishments, eg., some babies never crawl

Gross motor skills

Slide 21

• Second year: more skilled in motor activities and

mobile

– pull a toy attached to string – use hands and legs to climb steps – walk quickly – run a short distance – balance on feet while squatting – walk backward without losing balance – stand and throw a ball – jump in place

Gross motor skills

Slide 22

Gross motor skills

Slide 23

Fine motor skills

Slide 24

• Involve finely tuned movements and those that requires finger dexterity,

eg., grasp a toy, use spoon, button shirt

• Reaching and grasping marks the onset of significant achievement in fine

motor skills

– Palmer grasp: grasping with the whole hand – pincer grasp: grasping with thumb and forefinger

• Grasping varies based on size, shape, and texture, as well as the size of their
• ǁŶ haŶds ƌ

elatiǀ e to the oďjeĐt’s size

• Perceptual-motor coordination necessary for grasping
• Use of perceptual systems vary with age

– 4 months – rely more on touch to grasp – 8 months – use vision more often as cue

• Experience influences grasping skills

– E.g., IŶfaŶts ǁ h o had pƌaĐtiĐe ǁ ith ͞stiĐkLJ ŵitteŶs͟ leaƌŶed gƌaspiŶg skills sooŶeƌ .

• Exercising gross motor skills and fine motor skills is important and helpful.

Fine motor skills

Slide 25

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• pic Four

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT: OTHER

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Other physical development

• Sight improves rapidly

– Blurry at first, within week can focus on object 7-10 inches away

• 1 month, focus on objects 3 feet away

– By 3 ½ months, vision almost as good as an adult – Prefer patterns with high contrast and faces

• alternating stripes
• Prefer color red
• Develop hand-eye coordination: Move hands and fingers in

relation to what is seen

– 3-4 months: reach for what they see

• Essential for eating, catching a ball, coloring, tying shoes
• Depth perception improves

– 2nd month: recognize that object is three-dimensional and not flat

Slide 27

Other physical development

Slide 28

• Hearing develops before birth

– At birth, can tell general direction sound is coming from – Prefer human voice

• soothing voice calms
• loud voice alarms
• Smell and taste

– WithiŶ ϭϬ daLJ s Đ aŶ tell ŵoŵ’s sŵell – Can distinguish taste by 2 weeks old

• show preference for sweet taste

– Learn about world by using mouth

Other physical development

Slide 29

• Voice:

– Cry becomes softer as lungs mature – Physical growth of throat muscles, tongue, lips, teeth, and vocal cords – T

• ngue and mouth interior change making speech

development possible

• T

eeth:

– Begin to develop in 6th week of pregnancy

• Primary teeth begin to appear between 6-7 months of

age

• Complete set by 20 months (1 year

, 8 months)

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• pic Five

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Slide 30

Cognitive development

• Carefully observed children and used information to

formulate his theory

• Believed that children actively construct their own cognitive

worlds

• Both quantity and quality of knowledge increase
• Believed that cognitive development occurs in an orderly

and gradual manner

• All children pass through a series of four universal stages in

a fixed order

• Movement through stages occurs with physical maturation

and experience with environment

Slide 31

Cognitive development

Slide 32

• T
• construct knowledge, children use concepts such

as schemes, assimilation, accommodation,

• rganization, equilibrium, and equilibration
• Schemes – mental structures or mental

representations used for organizing knowledge

– Schemes become more sophisticated as motor capabilities advance – Infants actively use physical responses (sucking, grasping, looking) – T

• ddlers and older children use mental schemes (cognitive

activities-problem-solving) for organizing experiences.

Cognitive development

Slide 33

• Piaget theorize that children use and adapt their

schemas through assimilation and accommodation

• Assimilation – use existing schemes to handle new

information

– E.g. calling all four-legged animals dogs

• Accommodation – adjust existing schemes to handle

new information

– E.g, learning to differentiate between a dog and other animals

• Organization – grouping isolated behaviors and thoughts

into higher order more smoothly functioning cognitive system

Cognitive development

Slide 34

• T
• understand the world, children experience cognitive conflict, or

disequilibrium

– Experience of counterexamples of existing schemes and with inconsistencies – Eg. pouring water from a short and wide container into a tall and narrow container changes the amount of water

• Internal search for equilibrium creates motivation for change
• Equilibration: mechanism by which children shift from one stage of

thought to the next

• The child assimilates and accommodates, adjust old schemes,

develop new schemes, and organize and reorganize the old and new schemes.

– End product is a new way of thinking/cognitive change

• Sensori-motor

, pre-operational, concrete operational and formal

• perational stages

Sensorimotor stage

Slide 35

• Spans from birth to 2 years
• T

eƌŵed ͞sensorimotor͟ ďeĐause iŶfaŶts Đ

• ŶstƌuĐt aŶ

understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences (such as seeing and hearing) with physical, motoric actions

• Can be broken into six substages

– At the beginning of this stage, newborns have little more than reflexes – At the stage, 2-year-olds can produce complex sensorimotor patterns

Sensorimotor stage

Slide 36

Sensorimotor sub-stages

Slide 37

• 1)simple reflexes: birth to 1 months;

– Various reflexes to interact with the world – Reflexive behaviors, eg., rooting and sucking, are used to coordinate sensation and action

• 2)first habits and primary circular reactions:1-4 months

– Infants coordinate actions using 2 schemes, ie., habits and primary circular reactions

• Habit is scheme based on reflex separated from triggering

stimulus (sucking)

– Eg., Infants in this substage might suck even when no bottle is present

Sensorimotor sub-stages

Slide 38

• A circular reaction is an activity that permits the

construction of cognitive schemes through repetition of a chance motor event

• Primary circular reaction is repetitive action based on

trying to reproduce event first occurring by chance

• Habits and circular reactions are repeated the same way

each time

• The iŶfaŶt’s oǁ Ŷ ďodLJ ƌ

eŵaiŶs the iŶfaŶt’s ĐeŶteƌ of attention and no outward pull by environmental events

Sensorimotor sub-stages

Slide 39

• 3)secondary circular reactions: 4-8 months

– actions are repeated because of its consequences

• Infants become more object oriented and move beyond

preoccupation with the self

• IŶfaŶt’s sĐheŵes aƌe Ŷot iŶteŶtioŶal ďut theLJ

aƌe repeated because of their consequences

– Eg., shake rattle to reproduce sound;

• Vocalisation increases
• Infants also begin to imitate simple actions of others

Sensorimotor sub-stages

Slide 40

• 4) coordinated secondary circular reactions: 8-12

months

– Infants employ goal-directed behaviours

• Combine and coordinate several schemes to generate a

single act to solve a problem

• Actions become more outwardly-directed
• Changes involve the coordination of actions and

intentions.

• Development of object permanence, the realization that

people and objects exist even when they cannot be seen

Sensorimotor sub-stages

Slide 41

• 5)tertiary circular reactions:12-18 months

– deliberate variation of actions to bring desired consequences

• Beginnings of novelty and curiosity;
• Interested in properties of objects and things they

can do to objects (fall, spin, slide, hit another object);

Sensorimotor sub-stages

Slide 42

• 6) internalized schemes/beginning of thought 18-24 months;

– Capacity for mental representation, ie., internal image of a past event or

• bject
• Gain ability to pretend and deferred imitation (an act of a

person who is no longer present is imitated by children who have witnessed a similar act)

• Infants develop ability to use primitive symbols

– Primitive Symbol is an internalized sensory image or word that represents an event/concrete objects;

• Permit the infant to think about concrete events without

actually seeing or touching them

• Allow the infant to manipulate and transform the represented

events in simple ways

Sensorimotor sub-stages

Slide 43

Sample Question

Slide 44

• Describe the six sub-stages of Piaget’s seŶsoƌLJ ŵotoƌ

stage of cognitive development.

References

• Thelen, E. (1989). Self-organization in developmental

processes: Can systems approaches work. In M. Gunnar &

• E. Thelen (Eds.), Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology:
• Vol. 22. Systems and development (pp. 77–117). Hillsdale,

NJ: Erlbaum.

Slide 45