Download Physical and Cognitive Development: From Birth to Infancy and more Study notes Advanced Education in PDF only on Docsity! Concept Review Physical and Cognitive Development Psychosocial Development PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT Body Changes Height and Weight โ Average weight at birth: 7.5 pounds โ Average length: 20 inches โ These numbers are norms, an average measurement. Body Changes Well-baby Checkup โ Doctor or nurse measures babyโs growth: height, weight, and head circumference. โ Abnormal growth may indicate physical or psychological problems. โ Headsparing - A biological mechanism that protects the brain when malnutrition disrupts body growth. The brain is the last part of the body to be damaged by malnutrition. Body Changes Brain Development โ Neuron - nerve cell. Billions in the central nervous system. โ Cortex - the outer layers of the brain. โ Axon - a fiber that extends from a neuron and transmits electrochemical impulses from that neuron to the dendrites of other neurons. Body Changes able to awaken if someone rouses them, but also able to go back to sleep quickly if they wake up, cry, and are comforted. โ Quiet sleep: slow brain waves and slow breathing. โ Newborns have a high proportion of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, with flickering eyes and rapid brain waves. Moving and Perceiving Motor Skills โ The first movements are not skills but reflexes, involuntary responses to a particular stimulus. Moving and Perceiving โ Some reflexes help insure survival: breathing, thrashing, shivering, sucking, rooting, swallowing, spitting up. โ Other reflexes are signs of normal functioning: โ Babinski reflex: When infantsโ feet are stroked, their toes fan upward. โ Stepping reflex: When infants are held upright with their feet touching a flat surface, they move their legs as if to walk. โ Swimming reflex: When they are laid horizontally on their stomachs, infants stretch out their arms and legs. โ Palmar grasping reflex: When something touches infantsโ palms, they grip it tightly. โ Moro reflex: When someone startles them, perhaps by banging on the table they are lying on, infants fling their arms outward and then bring them together on their chests, as if to hold on to something, while crying with wide-open eyes. Moving and Perceiving โ Gross motor skills โ Physical abilities involving large body movements, such as walking and jumping. โ Fine motor skills โ Physical abilities involving small body movements, especially of the hands and fingers, such as drawing and picking up a coin. Moving and Perceiving Sensation and Perception โ Sensation โ The response of a sensory system (eyes, ears, skin, tongue, nose) when it detects a stimulus. โ Perception โ The mental processing of sensory
