“Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood”

Describe major changes in body size, proportions,

muscle-fat makeup, and skeletal growth over the first

two years.

Describe brain development during infancy and

toddlerhood.

Describe the general course of motor development

during the first two years.

Explain what changes in perception of speech

sounds, depth, patterns, objects, and intermodal

systems take place during infancy.

Consider all the mental and physical

developmental changes children go through

in their during their first three years.

With your partners, briefly list and discuss as

many as you can.

Height and weight: greater in the first

two years than in any other period of

life.

Fat is develops quickly where as muscle

develops slow and gradual.

Studies show heredity contributes to body

shape and size.

Breast milk is ideally suited of infants’

needs.

Most infants can eat nutritious foods without

fear of becoming over weight.

Dietary disease affect many children in

developing countries and can stunt physical

and brain growth if prolonged.

Growth faltering show the importance of

parental affection for normal physical

growth.

Cephalocaudal Trend- “Head to Tail”

prenatal period when the head develops

faster than the lower body.

Proximodistal Trend- “Near to Far” growth

from center of the body outward.

Bone length-best measure of a child’s

physical maturity.

Skulls- fontanels or “soft spots” allow for

brain growth, which is completed by

adolescence.

Brain grows faster than any other organ

Once neurons are in place they form synapses

and release neurotransmitters

Both heredity and early experience

contribute to brain development.

Appropriate early stimulation promotes

experience-expectant brain growth (No

evidence of experience-dependent brain

growth, which relies on specific learning

experiences)

Heredity, nutrition, and parental affection

and stimulation contribute to growth.

Twins and adoption studies show heredity is

a factor in body size and rate of growth.

Classical Conditioning- infants associate events that usually occur together in the everyday world.

Unconditioned stimulus produce a reflexive unconditioned response.

After learning has occurred a neutral stimulus produce a conditioned response.

Fear is conditioned within six months.

Operant conditioning- reinforcers and

punishment

Habituation and recovery – attracted to

novelty

Imitation

According to the theory of operant conditioning,

behavior or learning is influenced by reinforcers and

punishment. Considering this, do you think this

makes a positive argument for corporal punishing

small children?

Why? Why not?

Follows cephalocaudal and proximodistal

trends with a few deviations

Dynamic systems theory- children existing

skills into increasing complex systems of

actions reaching and grasping perfected in

the first year, not ready for toilet training

until the second year.

Rosanne hung mobiles and pictures

above her new born baby's crib, hoping

this would stimulate her infant's motor

development. Is Rosanne doing the

right thing?

Why or why not?

Hearing becomes organized and language

ability increases

Eye and visual central of the cerebral cortex

develop focusing, color discrimination and

visual acuity

Responsiveness to motion develops first

Contrast sensitivity develops within 2-3

months

Are capable of intermodal perception that

combines information across sensory

modalities, often after just one exposure

There are several types of perceptual

development.

With your partner briefly discuss which of

them is most taken for granted or

misunderstood?