Lifespan Psychology Module 4 slide on infancy

Infancy

Infants and Toddlers

Physical Growth Weight (Average 7.5 lbs)

Doubles by 4 months Triples by 12 months

Length 20 inches at birth 32-36 inches by age 2

Body proportions

The Brain Size increase

(25% to 75%) Growth of

connectors Loss of

connectors Myelination Variation in

maturation

Motor Development Newborn

reflexes Automatic

responses to stimuli

Include sucking, rooting, palmer grasp, etc.

Motor Development

Gross motor skills

Large movements

Motor Development

Fine motor skills Precise movements of hand

and fingers Eye-hand coordination Manipulating small objects Take longer to acquire

Sensory Development Vision-least developed sense

at birth Newborn focus 8-16 inches away Problems scanning/tracking Binocular vision at 14 weeks Color vision poor

Hearing-most developed sense at birth

Nutrition: Ideal Diet Breast milk Pros of breastfeeding When to avoid breastfeeding Wetnursing Today?

Find out more at http://www.prolacta.com/

Malnutrition In developing

countries: Infantile

marasmus Kwashiorkor

In United States: Milk-anemia Photo Courtesy CDC

Cognitive Development

Language and Thought

SENSORIMOTOR INTELLIGENCE

Jean Piaget

Substages

Of Sensorimotor Intelligence

Stage One

Birth to 1 month Reflexive actions Few schema

Stage Two

1-4 months 1st adaptations to the

environment More schema

Stage Three

4-8 months Repeating actions Starts to realize that he or she

can have an impact on the world

Stage Four

8-12 months New adaptations and

anticipation Look forward to upcoming

events Object permanence achieved

Was Piaget wrong?

Stage Five

12-18 months Experimentation of little

scientists Discovering features such as

gravity, simple cause and effect

Trial and error learning

Stage Six

18-24 months Mental combinations Child begins to “think” in

order to solve problems Less reliance on trial and error

learning Deferred imitation

COMMUNICATIONSteps in Language Development

Newborn Communication No language, but effective

communication Use cries Facial expressions Body posture

2-5 Months

Cooing begins Squealing Laughing Taking turns in communication Deaf babies also vocalize Pointing and gesturing at 5 months

6 Months

Babbling Make the sounds required for any

language Gradually, will only continue

making sounds that are part of one’s own language (at 1 year)

Deaf babies babble with rudiments of signs if used

10 Months

Understanding comes before speaking

12-13 Months

First spoken words Holophrasic speech Underextension Overextension Vocabulary of about 50 words Deaf babies vocalizations

disappear by age 2

18-24 Months

Vocabulary growth spurt at 18 months

Two word sentences at 21 months 3-5 word telegraphic (or “text

message”) speech at 24 months

Helping Children Learn to Speak

Why baby talk?(child-directed speech)

Theories of Language Development

Infants teach themselves (Chomsky’s L.A.D.) (but must be in person)

Infants are taught (Skinner) Infants learn in order to

communicate (Social-pragmatics) For all 3 reasons

Psychosocial Development in Infancy

A Look At Early Social Relationships and Emotions

Emotions

Attraction and withdrawal Social smiling (2 months) Laughter (3-5 months) Fear, sadness, anger (6-8 months) Jealousy? (6 months) Stranger wariness, separation

anxiety

Emotions

Self-Awareness (15 months) The Rouge Test

Guilt Shame Embarrassment

ATTACHMENT STYLESEarly Relationships

Secure Attachments

Child receives care, concern and affection

Leads to a sense of trust and curiosity

Signaled by separation anxiety and stranger wariness

Insecure-Resistant

Needs not consistently met Insecurity and fear of being alone Fussy, clingy, hard to satisfy

Insecure-Avoidant

No attachment; needs not met Child does not seek comfort from

caregiver Child is neither curious nor clingy

Disorganized

Neither plays nor responds Actions of mother Cry, freeze, hit, retreat, etc.

Attachment Styles

Also vary by culture: Germany (insecure-avoidant); Japan (insecure-resistant)

Temperament Inborn behavioral tendencies A way of relating to people, places and

things Not due to parenting Shaped into personality

New York Longitudinal Study

Activity Rhythmicity Approach/Withdrawal Adaptability

New York Longitudinal Study

Intensity Mood Persistence and attention span Distractibility Sensory threshold

Temperament Types

Easy or flexible (40% of those categorized)

Difficult, active, or feisty (10%) Slow to warm up/cautious (15%) 35 percent are a combination Goodness of fit

Trust Vs Mistrust

Problems in developing trust Parents who don’t show affection

toward child Tension, irritability in the

household(Stress and neurological

development)

Erikson’s Trust Vs Mistrust

Requirements for developing trust Regular, adequate care Sufficient sucking Cuddling and physical contact Overall message that they are

loved

Erikson’s Autonomy Vs Shame and Doubt

Found in 1-2 year old children Toddlers want independence or

autonomy Should be allowed to be

independent within safe limits Pride requires self-evaluation