Week 4: Growth and Maturation

Question 1

Describe Growth (7 points)

Answer 1

• Physical growth relates to quantitative increases in size, such as the increases in height and weight that is experienced through aging
• Growth patterns are predictable and consistent
• However, they are not linear, meaning we don’t have the same amount of growth every year. Though, at certain stages, we experienced growth spurts.
• When growth is charted, a rapid growth after birth is present, followed by a gradual but steady growth during childhood.
• Then there’s another period of rapid growth during early adolescence. Finally, growth tends to level off during late adolescence.
• This pattern of overall growth isn’t known as a sigmoid curve.
• It is important to note that timing of growth spurts may vary between individuals. There tends to be a little bit of variation. For example, one girl might start the adolescent growth spurt at eight and another one might be at the age of 10.

Question 2

Describe the relationship between growth and sex (6 points)

Answer 2

• Sex is a major factor in the timing as well as the extent of growth that occurs.
• There’s minimal differences between males and females during early childhood. On average, though, boys are slightly taller, and slightly heavier.
• Throughout childhood, though, girls tend to mature faster than boys.
• There are important sex differences in growth and development, which are particularly pronounced during adolescence.
  
  • On average, girls will tend to begin their adolescent growth spurt at around about the age of nine
  • Boys tend begin their growth spurt at the age of 11.

Question 3

Describe the relationship between growth and height (4 points)

Answer 3

• Height tends to follow the sigmoid pattern of growth. There is a rapid increase in height during infancy, steady increases during childhood, then another period of rapid growth during that adolescent growth spurt. And then again, the increase in heart tends to taper off again.
• An individual’s height is often compared to group norm, with percales being used to organize the data. This means that if someone’s in the 75th percentile in height, they’re taller than 75% of people within that same age bracket.
• This allows us to approximate and compare individuals height.
• Children tend to maintain percentile position. For example, as a three year old, if you’re around the 75th percentile, throughout childhood, you’re most likely going to stay around the 75th percentile.

Question 4

Describe the relationship between growth and weight (5 points)

Answer 4

• Like height, weight tends to follow the sigmoid pattern as well.
• However, weight is more susceptible to extrinsic factors.
• This could be a reflection in:
  
  • the amount of muscle, which is linked to the amount of exercise an individual does. If someone gets lots of exercise, they’re more likely going to have a larger muscle mass than someone that doesn’t.
  • the amount of fat tissue, which is caused by both diet and exercise. If someone has a poor diet and low levels of exercise, they’re more likely going to have higher percentages of fat tissue. Therefore this is going to impact on their weight.

Question 5

Describe relative growth (5 points)

Answer 5

• On the topic of relative growth, it is known that body parts and organs grow at different rates.
• This results in notable changes in the body’s appearance.
• For example, a newborn’s head makes up a quarter of its overall height, causing the newborn to be very top heavy. However, a six year old’s head makes up 1/6 of its height, showing that its body is starting to catch up. Lastly a 25 year old’s head makes up an eighth of its overall height. This shows that the head hasn’t actually increased in size anywhere near as much as the rest of its body.
• This will cause significant changes in motor controls, such as balance. A newborn’s center of gravity is located well above the belly button, whereas a 25 year old’s center of gravity is located well below the belly button. Therefore, an adult’s center of gravity is relatively lower than it would be for a newborn’s.
• If you look at the gender differences with regard to relative growth, girls’ hips and shoulders tend to increase at the same rate whereas boys shoulders tend to increase substantially more than the hips.

Question 6

Describe physiological maturation (9 points)

Answer 6

• In simple terms, maturation is the process of becoming mature.
• So maturation is the development process leading towards physical maturity or the state of optimal function.
• Tissues of the grown body can advance qualitatively without necessarily increasing in size. This qualitative advance is known as physiological maturation.
• Chronological age, body size and physiological maturation can proceed with varying timing.
• Because of this children of the same age can actually be different in size but also in maturation.
• Because of these varying changes, you cannot assume maturity from age or size because size and maturation are not always equal.
• Mature individuals are more likely to be stronger and more coordinated.
• Parents, coaches and educators must consider maturation when designing activities and setting performance goals. By doing so, you’re going to make sure that these performance goals are more developmentally appropriate.
• Size and maturation are not always equal, however, secondary sex characteristics because are a better indication of maturation. For example, an athlete that’s gone through puberty is going to be more physiologically mature than someone who hasn’t gone through puberty.

Question 7

Describe the relationship between motor development and other forms of development (4 points)

Answer 7

• Motor development is a distinct process but interact with all other domains of human development.
• We’re not just developing movement as we get older and get more experience.
• We’re also developing our brain and the way that we think. We’re adapting our way that we interact with other people. And we’re growing and getting stronger.
• All of those things really play in together. So we can’t talk about just motor development without considering these other factors.

Question 8

Describe Cognitive domain (4 points)

Answer 8

• The cognitive domain is looking at your thinking skills, such as:
  
  • the ability to adapt
  • the ability to improvise
  • thinking through strategy.

Question 9

Describe affective domain (6 points)

Answer 9

• The affective domain relates to our interaction with other people.
• Has various components such as:
  
  • Self esteem and self-approval
  • Social skills
  • Emotions maturity
  • Relationships

Question 10

Describe psychomotor domain (2 points)

Answer 10

• Psychomotor is voluntary movement, meaning movements that someone chooses to make rather than being a subconscious reaction to a stimulate
• Observing the quality of that movement is important.

Question 11

Describe physical domain (4 points)

Answer 11

• The physical domain separates from movement and instead observes characteristics such as
  
  • Height and weight
  • Range of motion
  • Strength and endurance