Developmental Psychology 350
Lecture 5
9-20-00
Outline - Infancy
- Infant mortality
- Newborns appearance, emotions, reflexes, states,
- SIDS
- Sucking & feeding
- Physical growth of major systems
International Comparisons of Infant Mortality
Rank Country Deaths/1000
1 Japan 4.4
5 Sweden 4.8
15 Austria 6.5
25 USA 8.4
37 Romania 23.3
March of Dimes, Perinatal Data Center 1997
Neonates - Appearance
Covered with blood, mucus, vernix caseosa
Hairy (lanugo), chubby
Often tense, crying, flexed limbs
Misshapen head sometimes
APGAR Scale
Newborns Reflexes
Permanent
Breathing
Eyeblink
Knee jerk
Coughing
Swallowing
Pupillary
Temporary
- Rooting & sucking
- Palmer or hand grasp
- Plantar or toe grasp
- Babinski (toes fan out)
- Stepping
- Swimming
- Moro (embracing)
Infant Emotions
At birth - startle, interest, disgust, distress, "gas smile"
4-6 weeks - social smile
3-4 months - anger, surprise, sadness
5-7 months - fear
6-8 months - shame, shyness. self-awareness
Three Patterns of Infant Temperament
Easy child
Difficult child
Slow-to-warm-up child
Infant States of Activity
Deep sleep
Light sleep
Drowsiness
Alert inactivity
Alert activity
Crying
Infant Sleep
Newborns sleep 16-20hrs/day
Infants fall asleep on 3-4 hour cycles
During first 6 months, 30-50% of total sleep is REM sleep
By 3-4 months, infants can sleep all night
By 1 year of age, infants follow adult sleep schedule but with long naps
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Strikes 1-2 of 1,000 babies in USA annually
Apparently healthy infants stop breathing
Causes unknown but linked with head colds, weak reflexes to clear air passage, sleeping on stomach, lack of stimulation
Possibly immature brainstem does not regulate heart rate and breathing
Declining with parent education
Sucking Patterns
Nutritive sucking - adapting reflexes
Non-nutritive sucking - soothing stimulation
Exploratory sucking - learning about objects
Feeding Patterns
Breastfeeding
Psychological benefits
Physiological benefits
Feeding Transitions
2-3 months, juices
4 months, semi-solid foods
6 months, strained meats & veggies
8-10 months, weaning & solid foods
Infants Nutritional Needs
Cholesterol, Fat, Sugar, & Salt
Are all necessary for infants
Are supplied best by breast milk and then whole milk during first 2 years
Are all underestimated by parents who think infants need less fat plus vitamin & protein supplements in their diets
Physical Growth
Height & Weight
Skeletal Development
Muscular Development
Brain & Nervous System
Locomotion & Posture
Manual Dexterity
Large-Muscle Motor Skills
Height & Weight
Newborns weigh 7-8 pounds; double weight by 6 months; triple weight by 12 months
2 year olds are about half of adult height and weigh about 30 pounds
Growth spurts - intense growth in 1-2 days followed by long periods of little change
Skeletal Development
Skull hardens by 2-3 years
Bones build at "growing plates" at ends
Girls bones grow faster than boys until puberty
But girls begin puberty 1-2 years earlier than boys so height difference is reversed after puberty
Muscular Development
Born with all our muscle cells
Muscle tissue develops longer in males
By mid-20s, muscle = 40% of male body weight but only 24% of female weight
Brain & Nervous System
Newborn brain is 25% of adult weight
By age 2 yrs, brain =75% of adult weight
Early growth in cell migration and cell elaboration
Early differentiation in cerebrum that controls sensory and motor functions
Lateralization continues through puberty
Locomotion & Posture
2 months - lift chest up
4months - sit with support
6-7 months - sit alone; crawl
9-10 months - stand holding furniture; creep on hands & knees
11-13 months - pull to standing; walk when led; climb up stairs
12-15 months - walk alone
Manual Dexterity
0-2 months - palmer grasp
2 months -reach with fist
4-5 months - open-handed and visually- directed reaching
7-9 months - skilled reaching
8-12 months - "pincer" movement with thumb and fingers
3-5 years - consistent hand preference
Large-Muscle Motor Skills
1-2 yr olds - walk; climb stairs one/time
2 yr olds - run clumsily & fall often
3 yr olds - jump; hop irregularly; and climb stairs alternating feet
4 yr olds - start & stop quickly; hop on one foot; descend stairs with alternating feet with support
5 yr olds - running jump; hop & skip 20 ft; descend stairs unaided with alternating feet
H x E Interactions in
Physical Growth
Children today are taller, heavier, stronger than children 100 years ago - Why?
Does early deprivation or enrichment have long-term consequences?
What are the effects of living in poverty?
How do cultural differences in child rearing influence development?
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