PSYCHOLOGY

Infancy
Pujal Dabas
 INTRODUCTION
3

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
4

agenda SENSORY ABILITIES

6

COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
8

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
10
introduction
The brain develops at an amazing rate before and after birth.
You have already read about the parts of the brain and the
important role played by cerebrum in human functions, such
as language, perception, and intelligence. Just before birth
the newborns have most but not all brain cells. The neural
connections among these cells develops at a rapid rate. The
newborn is not as helpless as you might think. The activities
needed to sustain life functions are present in the newborn
— it breathes, sucks, swallows, and discharges the bodily
wastes. The newborns in their first week of life are able to
indicate what direction a sound is coming from, can
distinguish their mother’s voice from the voices of other
women, and can imitate simple gestures like tongue
protrusion and mouth opening.

20XX presentation title 3

Motor
development
o The newborn’s movements are governed by reflexes — which are
automatic, built-in responses to stimuli. They are genetically-carried
survival mechanisms and are the building blocks for subsequent motor
development. Before newborns have had the opportunity to learn,
reflexes act as adaptive mechanisms. Some reflexes present in the
newborn — coughing, blinking, and yawning persist throughout their
lives. Others disappear as the brain functions mature and voluntary
control over behavior starts developing (see Table 3.1). As the brain is
developing, physical development also progresses. As the infant grows,
the muscles and nervous system mature which leads to the development
of finer skills. Basic physical (motor) skills include grasping and reaching
for objects, sitting, crawling, walking, and running. The sequence of
physical (motor) development is universal, with minor exceptions.

20XX presentation title 5

Sensory
abilities
You know by now that newborns are not as incompetent as they look.
They can recognise their mother’s voice just a few hours after birth and
have other sensory capabilities. How well can infants see? Newborns
prefer to look at some stimuli rather than others such as faces, although
these preferences change over the first few months of life. The newborn’s
vision is estimated to be lower than the adult’s vision. By 6 months it
improves and by about the first year, vision is almost the same as that of
an adult (20/20). Can a newborn see colour? The current consensus is that
they might be able to distinguish between red and white colours but in
general they are colour deficient and full-colour vision develops by 3
months of age. What is the nature of hearing in newborns? Infants can
hear immediately after birth. As the infant develops, proficiency at
localising sound improves. Newborns respond to touch and they can even
feel pain. Both smell and taste capacities are also present in the newborn.

20XX presentation title 7

Cognitive
development
Does a 3-year-old child understand things the same way as would an 8-year-old? Jean Piaget
stressed that children actively construct their understanding of the world. The information
does not simply enter their minds from the environment. As children grow, additional
information is acquired and they adapt their thinking to include new ideas, as this improves
their understanding of the world. Piaget believed that a child’s mind passes through a series
of stages of thought from infancy to adolescence. The child during infancy, i.e. the first two
years of life, experiences the world through senses and interactions with objects — through
looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping. According to Piaget, children at this stage
do not go beyond their immediate sensory experience, i.e. lack object permanence — the
awareness that the objects continue to exist when not perceived. Gradually by 8 months of
age, the child starts pursuing the object partially covered in her/his presence. The basis of
verbal communication seems to be present in infants. Vocalization begins with the infant’s
babbling, sometime between 3 to 6 months of age.

20XX presentation title 9

Socio-
emotional
development
Babies from birth are social creatures. An infant starts preferring familiar faces and responds to
parent’s presence by cooing and gurgling. They become more mobile by 6 to 8 months of age
and start showing a preference for their mother’s company. When frightened by a new face or
when separated from their mother, they cry or show distress. On being reunited with the parent
or caregiver they reciprocate with smiles or hugs. The close emotional bond of affection that
develop between infants and their parents (caregivers) is called attachment. According to Erik
Erikson (1968), the first year of life is the key time for the development of attachment. It
represents the stage of developing trust or mistrust. A sense of trust is built on a feeling of
physical comfort which builds an expectation of the world as a secure and good place. An
infant’s sense of trust is developed by responsive and sensitive parenting. If the parents are
sensitive, affectionate, and accepting, it provides the infant a strong base to explore the
environment. Such infants are likely to develop a secure attachment. On the other hand, if
parents are insensitive and show dissatisfaction and find fault with the child, it can lead to
creating feelings of self-doubt in the child. Securely attached infants respond positively when
picked up, move freely, and play whereas insecurely attached infants feel anxious when
separated and cry due to fear and get upset. A close interactive relationship with warm and
affectionate adults is a child’s first step towards healthy development.
20XX presentation title 11
 EXPERIMENT
. In a classic study by Harlow and Harlow (1962), baby monkeys were separated
from their mothers approximately 8 hours after birth. The baby monkeys were placed
in experimental chambers and reared for 6 months by surrogate (substitute) “mothers”,
one made of wire and the other of cloth. Half the baby monkeys were fed by the wire
mother, half by the cloth mother. Regardless of whether they were fed by the wire or
the cloth mother the baby monkeys showed a preference for the cloth mother and spent
a lot more time with her. This study clearly demonstrates that providing nourishment
or feeding was not crucial for attachment and contact comfort is important. You too
may have seen young children having a strong attachment to a favorite toy or blanket.
There is nothing unusual in this, as the children know that the blanket or toy is not
their mother. Yet it provides them comfort. As children grow and become more sure of
themselves, they abandon these objects. Human babies also form an attachment with
their parents or caregivers who consistently and appropriately reciprocate their signals
of love and affection.
20XX presentation title 12
 summary
Infancy is the period from birth to 18 months of age. It
marks the beginning of language, symbolic thought,
sensorimotor coordination and social learning.
• Early childhood years extend from end of infancy to 5 to 6
years of age and are also called the “preschool year”. The
middle and late childhood years is the period from 6 to 11
years of age. The child is able to master the fundamental
skills of reading, writing and arithmetic, the child also
develops physically, socially and morally.

20XX presentation title 13

thank you
mirjam nilsson
[email protected]
www.contoso.com