PSYC 335 Developmental Psychology I - WordPress.com · • Dynamic systems theory (Thelen, 1989)...

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 Yendork Department of Psychology

Contact Information: [email protected]

godsonug.wordpress.com/blog

mailto:[email protected]








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)

Topic One

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:

Slide 5

PATTERNS 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 Slide 6

Physical development: Patterns of physical growth

Slide 7

• 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

Topic Two

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT: PHYSICAL

Slide 8

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

Slide 9

Physical development: Physical growth

and development

Slide 10

• Brain development

• Brain undergo rapid growth and remarkable changes • At ďiƌth, 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 of its adult weight.

• Right hemisphere (negative emotions, intense emotions, creativity) has growth spurt in first 1½ years, and is dominant for first 3 years.


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 laǇeƌ: ͞EǆeĐutiǀ e ĐoŶtƌol͟-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

Temperature

Heart Rate

Breathing

FOREBRAIN Cortex

“Executive Center”

MIDBRAIN Limbic

“Emotional Center”

HINDBRAIN Cerebellum &

Brainstem “Alarm Center”


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


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 ĐoŶŶeĐtioŶs


and development

Slide 16

• Two basic needs of the developing brain

• Safety: – PƌoteĐt ďaďǇ’s head fƌoŵ falls aŶd otheƌ iŶjuƌies ďeĐause of

ongoing 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

Topic Three

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT: MOTOR

Slide 17

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 phǇsiĐal pƌopeƌties – infant change movement patterns to fit new task by exploring and

selecting possible movement options – MasteƌiŶg a ŵotoƌ skill ƌeƋuiƌes the iŶfaŶt’s aĐtiǀ e effoƌts

• Task: 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 aĐtiǀ i ties, suĐh as ŵoǀ iŶg 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 oǁŶ haŶds ƌelatiǀ 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 ŵitteŶs ͟ leaƌŶed gƌaspiŶg skills sooŶeƌ.

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

Fine motor skills

Slide 25

Topic Four

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT: OTHER

Slide 26

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


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 daǇs ĐaŶ tell ŵoŵ’s sŵell

– Can distinguish taste by 2 weeks old

• show preference for sweet taste

– Learn about world by using mouth


Slide 29

• Voice: – Cry becomes softer as lungs mature – Physical growth of throat muscles, tongue, lips, teeth, and

vocal cords

– Tongue and mouth interior change making speech development possible

• Teeth: – 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)

Topic 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


Slide 32

• To construct knowledge, children use concepts such as schemes, assimilation, accommodation, organization, 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)

– Toddlers and older children use mental schemes (cognitive activities-problem-solving) for organizing experiences.


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


Slide 34

• To 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 operational stages

Sensorimotor stage

Slide 35

• Spans from birth to 2 years

• Teƌŵed ͞sensorimotor͟ ďeĐause iŶfaŶts ĐoŶstƌuĐt 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


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


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


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


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);


Slide 42

• 6) internalized schemes/beginning of thought 18-24 months; – Capacity for mental representation, ie., internal image of a past event or

object

• 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


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

PSYC 335 Developmental Psychology I - WordPress.com · • Dynamic systems theory (Thelen, 1989)...

Documents

Transcript of PSYC 335 Developmental Psychology I - WordPress.com · • Dynamic systems theory (Thelen, 1989)...