Reflexes, Motor Development & Dynamic Systems and Perception & Action Flashcards
(103 cards)
1
Q
Why do we study motor processes?
A
- It’s interesting to study how an uncoordinated newborn, “prisoner of gravity” becomes a competent toddler
- The only way you have to affect the world around you is by movement and exploring the environment
2
Q
Define reflexes
A
Innate, fixed patterns of action that occur in response to particular stimulation
3
Q
The innate, fixed patterns of action that occur in response to particular stimulation is known as a ….?
A
Reflex
4
Q
What are the 2 reflexes that are deemed as survival/ have a clear adaptive value?
A
1) Sucking
2) Rooting
5
Q
What reflex does not have a clear adaptive value?
A
Tonic neck reflex
6
Q
What reflex is this?
Baby turns her head and opens her mouth when her cheek is stroked
A
Rooting
7
Q
Define rooting
A
When a baby turns their head and opens their mouth when her cheek is stroked
8
Q
Why do babies perform the rooting reflexes?
A
- Because the finger stroking the cheek is similar to a nipple stroking the cheek (for feeding)
- As a reflex, the baby thinks the finger is the nipple and opens its mouth to be fed
9
Q
At what age does rooting disappear?
A
Around 3 weeks old and is replaced by voluntary head turning
10
Q
What reflex is this?
When something is put in the baby’s
mouth, the baby sucks repeatedly
A
Sucking
11
Q
Define sucking
A
When something is put in the baby’s
mouth, the baby sucks repeatedly
12
Q
Why do babies perform the sucking reflex?
A
- Sucking on something is similar to sucking on a nipple (for feeding purposes)
- So when something is in their mouth, they immediately behave as if they are being fed
- This reflex increases the chances of getting nourishment and surviving
13
Q
At what age does sucking disappear?
A
At around 4 months old and is replaced by voluntary sucking
14
Q
What reflex is this?
When a finger or object is pressed against the baby’s palm, the baby’s fingers close around it in a grasping action
A
Grasping reflex
15
Q
Define grasping
A
When a finger or object is pressed against the baby’s palm, the baby’s fingers close around it in a grasping action
16
Q
At what age does grasping disappear?
A
At around 4 months and is replaced with voluntary grasping
17
Q
Where does the grasping reflex appear in?
A
The foot and hand (evolutionary remnant)
18
Q
Why do babies perform the grasping reflex?
A
It’s an evolutionary remnant
In our evolutionary past, it helped us survive as grasping reflex in hands and feet may once have helped a baby cling on to their (hairy)
mother (apes/monkeys)
19
Q
What reflex is this?
When the bottom of baby’s foot is stroked, the toes fan out and then curl
A
Babinski reflex
20
Q
Define the Babinski reflex
A
When the bottom of baby’s foot is stroked, the toes fan out and then curl
21
Q
At what age does the Babinski reflex disappear?
A
At around 8-12 months
22
Q
What reflex is this?
When a baby is held upright over a flat surface, they will make rhythmic stepping movements
A
Stepping reflex
23
Q
Define stepping reflex
A
When a baby is held upright over a flat surface, they will make rhythmic stepping movements
24
Q
At what age does the stepping reflex disappear?
A
At around 2 months but comes back later
25
What reflex is this?
If a baby is startled by something (e.g. sudden noise or movement) then the baby throws its arms out backwards and arches its back before bringing its arms back together as if holding/hugging something
Moro reflex
26
Define Moro reflex
If a baby is startled by something (e.g. sudden noise or movement) then the baby throws its arms out backwards and arches its back before bringing its arms back together as if holding/hugging something
27
At what age does the Moro reflex disappear?
At around 6 months
28
Where do early simple reflexes arise from?
Brain stem
29
Where do more complex and coordinated reflexes arise from?
The maturation of the cerebral cortex
30
Describe the primary motor cortex
Primary motor cortex (M1)
- The first area of the cortex to develop
- Responsible for voluntary (nonreflexive) movement
31
At what age do babies begin to raise their heads?
1 month old
32
At what age do babies begin to control their arms and trunk?
3 months old
33
What is the last part of body control to develop?
Leg control
34
What did earlier research previously believe about infants' motor development?
Motor development was believed to be an element of neurological maturity
35
Define neurological maturity in infants
When infants' acquisition of new ways to interact with the world provides them with new things to learn and think about the world
36
What does modern research believe about infants' motor development?
Motor development follows a dynamic systems approach (many factors work together simultaneously to influence motor development)
37
Define dynamics system
Mutual influence of several different systems that happen simultaneously which affects motor development
38
Who examined the stepping reflex?
Thelen et al.
39
What did Thelen et al. discover about the "disappearing" stepping reflex in infants?
- Stepping reflex doesn't actually disappear
- After 2 months, as infants' legs get fatter and heavier, they don't have the strength to lift their legs up
- But if you make them lighter (by putting them in water to reduce mass), they start making stepping reflexes again
40
What did Thelen's experiment suggest about the stepping reflex?
The changing ratio of leg weight to strength is what made the stepping reflex disappear after the infant is 2 months old
41
List the milestones for motor development
1) Prone lifts head
2) Prone, chest up, uses arms for support
3) Rolls over
4) Supports some weight with legs
5) Sits without support
6) Stands with support
7) Pulls self to stand
8) Walks using furniture for support
9) Stands alone easily without support
10) Walks alone easily without support
42
At what age do babies start to lift their heads only?
2-3 weeks old
43
At what age do babies start to lift their heads and chests up, using arms for support?
2-4 months old
44
At what age do babies start to roll over?
2-4.5 months old
45
At what age do babies start to support themselves/their weight with their legs?
3-6 months old
46
At what age do babies start to sit without support?
4.5-7.5 months old
47
At what age do babies start stand with support?
5-nearly 10 months old
48
At what age do babies start to pull themselves up to stand?
6-nearly 10 months old
49
At what age do babies start to walk using furniture as support?
7-12.5 months old
50
At what age do babies start to stand alone without any support?
9.5-nearly 14 months old
51
At what age do babies start to walk alone without any support?
11-14 months old
52
What do mothers in Mali believe about motor development in infants?
Mothers in Mali believe it is important to exercise their infants to promote their physical and motor development.
53
Who found that exercising babies helps to promote physical and motor development and does not harm the babies?
Bril & Sabatier
54
At what age do infants begin to successfully reach for objects?
At around 3-4 months old
55
What are prereaching movements and when do they occur?
Prereaching = clumsy swiping movements by young infants toward the general movement of objects they see
When = The first few months post-birth
56
What does reaching involve?
a. A complex interaction of multiple independent components
b. A simple interaction of a singular component
a. A complex interaction of multiple independent components
57
8-month olds are .......... to reach towards a distant object when an adult is present than if they were alone
a. more likely
b. less likely
a. more likely
58
Why are 8-month-olds more likely to reach towards a distant object when an adult is present than if they were alone?
Because reaching has a social component
This means that infants view adults as someone who is able to help them accomplish goals when they can't do so on their own
59
What term is used to define how children use their hands to grasp objects and not just simply reach for them?
Manual dexterity
60
Define manual dexterity
How children use their hands to grasp objects and not just simply reach for them
61
At what age do infants' reaching ability become fairly stable?
At about 7 months when they gain the ability to sit without support
62
At what age do infants' reaching ability become a grasping approach depending on the task?
By 9-10 months old
63
At what age do infants show sophisticated manual dexterity?
By 1 year old
64
At what age do infants simply grasp with their whole hand to pick up an object?
28 weeks (7 months) old
65
At what age do infants perform the scissors grasp with all of their fingers (kind of like a duck hand) to pick up an object?
36 weeks (9-10 months) old
66
At what age do infants perform the pincer grasp with only their thumb and index finger to pick up an object?
52 weeks (12 months/1 year) old
67
What term is used to describe when babies move around in the environment on their own and are no longer limited to being only where someone else puts them?
Self locomotion
68
Define self locomotion
When babies move around in the environment on their own and are no longer limited to being only where someone else puts them
69
How do infants learn whether it is safe enough for them to move on particular surfaces?
- Infants constantly evaluate whether their developing skills are adequate enough for them to travel from one point to another
- They must watch out for slipper surfaces, slops, nig gaps, etc
- They must adjust their mode of locomotion to perception of properties of the surface they want to travel on
70
How do infants learn whether it is safe enough for them to move on particular surfaces?
- Infants constantly evaluate whether their developing skills are adequate enough for them to travel from one point to another
- They must watch out for slippery surfaces, slops, nig gaps, etc
- They must adjust their mode of locomotion to perception of properties of the surface they want to travel on
71
At what age do infants become capable of self-locomotion for the first time as they begin to crawl?
At around 8 months
72
How do infants learn how to independently move themselves?
Learning to move independently involves
integrating movement from many different parts of the body
73
Why do doctors advise parents to put their babies to sleep on their backs?
To reduce the risk of SIDS
74
What makes infants less likely to roll over on scheduled time (based on the milestone table)?
When babies sleep on their backs
75
How can sleeping on their backs slow down rolling over in infancy?
When babies are on their backs, they can clearly see their surroundings and are not motivated to get into a crawling position
When babies sleep on their tummy, they can't really see their surroundings so they feel motivated to practice how to roll over
76
How can sleeping on their backs slow down crawling in infancy?
When babies spend less time on their tummies, their arm strength may develop more slowly
77
By 18 months old, are there any differences in the development of infant crawling when babies sleep on their backs?
No, there is supposedly no difference
78
As infants learn about objects, they perceive that different objects offer different .....?
Affordances
79
Define affordances
Things in the environment which allow us to meet our needs
80
How do infants learn about affordances
Through their own actions
81
At what age do infants begin to walk independently?
At around 13-14 months old
82
Who found that infants do not transfer learning from what they know about crawling down
slopes to walking down them?
Adolph et al.
83
What does it mean by infants "do not transfer learning" from what they know about crawling down slopes to walking down them?
Infants don't transfer learning
Instead, they update information about their surroundings continuously
84
Describe the visual cliff paradigm
The visual cliff paradigm uses a table with an apparently steep drop that is covered with a
transparent glass that can support the weight of an infant
85
What experiment used a table with an apparently steep drop that is covered with a transparent glass that can support the weight of an infant?
Visual cliff paradigm
86
Who found that 6-14- month-old infants would not cross the deep side of the cliff is a visual cliff paradigm?
Gibson and Walk (1960)
87
Gibson and Walk (1960) found that 6-14- month-old infants would not cross the deep side of the cliff. What does this suggest about infants' perception of heights?
The findings suggest that infants perceive and understand the depth cue of relative size
Infants use the visual info of the cliff to judge whether it is safe to cross or not
88
Who built onto Gibson and Walk's visual cliff study?
Campos et al.
89
What were the findings of Campos et al's visual cliff experiment?
1) 1½-month-old infants could perceive the difference in depth but showed no fear of the deep side (heart rate)
2) Early crawlers avoided heights earlier
90
According to Campos et al., at what age do infants perceive the difference in depth of the visual cliff but showed no fear of the deep side (heart rate)?
Simply = infants were aware the cliff was steep but were not scared to cross over
1½-month-old
91
Why do infants with crawling experience show hesitance when they see a cliff in the visual cliff experiment?
Infants who have had crawling experience often develop an earlier understanding of depth and drop-offs on the surface they travel (they become more sensitive to their peripheral vision)
They have object permanence
92
Who said this?
“We must perceive in order to move, but we must also move in order to perceive”
Gibson (1979)
93
What is the term used to describe the use of another person's emotional reaction to interpret an ambiguous situation?
Social referencing
94
How do infants apply the concept of social referencing when performing the visual cliff experiment?
The infant looks at their mother/caregiver for social cues of whether it is safe to cross the cliff or not
e.g. If the infant sees her mother smiling and encouraging her to cross the cliff, the infant will be more likely to cross over, despite being scared to do so before
95
What is the term used to describe when toddlers try to treat a miniature replica object as if it was a much larger real one?
Scale error
96
Define scale error
When toddlers try to treat a miniature replica object as if it was a much larger real one
97
Who proposed that children make scale errors?
DeLoache et al
98
One little boy is perched on top of a miniature chair, trying to sit in it just like he did with a similar-looking real chair
What is this an example of?
Scale error
99
Why do children make scale errors? List 3 reasons
1) Dissociation between dorsal/ventral visual processing streams?
- Somehow the visual information for planning an action is not correctly integrated with the system for executing that action
2. Centration
- The tendency of children in the preoperational stage to attend to one aspect of a problem, object, or situation at a time, to the exclusion of others
3. Failure to inhibit an automatically afforded action
- e.g. “cars are for driving”, so children think just because its a car, they can simply sit on it despite the size
100
Which of the following statements describes the Babinski reflex?
A. When the infant is startled, the arms are thrown outwards and then brought back together
B. When the cheek is touched, the head turns and the mouth opens
C. When a finger is pressed against the palm, the fingers close around it
D. When the bottom of the foot is stroked, the toes fan out and then curl
D. When the bottom of the foot is stroked, the toes fan out and then curl
101
The rooting reflex
A. may have helped the infant cling to the mother in our evolutionary past.
B. helps a breastfed baby find the mother's nipple.
C. can be restored in older babies by submerging them in water up to the waist.
D. has an unknown function.
B. helps a breastfed baby find the mother's nipple.
102
Joey is a toddler who sometimes tries to climb into his toy car. When he does this, he is exhibiting
A. A scale error
B. Specificity of motor learning
C. A visual cliff
D. Learning transfer
A. A scale error
103
Infants’ experience with __________ is most likely to be linked to the development of their refusal to cross the deep side of the visual cliff
A. Crawling
B. Rolling
C. Reaching and grasping
D. Walking
A. Crawling
