TOPIC 2 - Motor Development

Question 1

For example, babies learn to walk only when maturation of the nervous system allows them to control certain leg muscles, when they want to move, when their legs have grown strong enough to support their weight, and when they have sufficient balance control to support their body on one leg.

Answer 1

Motor development

Question 2

is the result of many converging factors: the development of the nervous system, the body’s physical properties and its possibilities for movement, the goal the child is motivated to reach, and availability of environmental support for the skill.

Answer 2

new behavior

Question 3

When infants are motivated to do something, they might create a ______

Answer 3

new motor behavior

Question 4

To develop motor skills, infants must ____ something in their environment that motivates them to act and use their ____ to fine-tune their movements

Answer 4

perceive
perceptions

Question 5

infants assemble motor skills for perceiving and acting.

Answer 5

dynamic systems theory

Question 6

imagine that you offer a new toy to a baby named Gabriel (Thelen & others, 1993). There is no exact program that can tell Gabriel ahead of time how to move his arm and hand and fingers to grasp the toy. Gabriel must adapt to his goal-grasping the toy-and the context. From his sitting position, he must make split- second adjustments to extend his arm, holding his body steady so that his arm and torso don’t plow into the toy. Muscles in his arm and shoulder contract and stretch in a host of combinations, exerting a variety of forces. He improvises a way to reach out with one arm and wrap his fingers around the toy.

Answer 6

dynamic systems theory

Question 7

motor development is not a ____ in which genes dictate the unfolding of a sequence of skills over time. Rather, the infant ______ puts together a skill to achieve a goal within the constraints set by the infant’s body and environment.

Answer 7

passive process
actively

Question 8

are all working together as part of an ever- changing system.

Answer 8

Nature and nurture
the infant and the environment

Question 9

are important examples. Both have survival value for newborn mammals, who must find a mother’s breast to obtain nourishment.

Answer 9

Rooting and sucking reflexes

Question 10

are genetically carried survival mechanisms. They allow infants to respond adaptively to their environment before they have had the opportunity to learn.

Answer 10

Reflexes

Question 11

are built-in reactions to stimuli; they govern the newborn’s movements, which are automatic and beyond the newborn’s control.

Answer 11

Reflexes

Question 12

occurs when newborns automatically suck an object placed in their mouth.

Answer 12

sucking reflex

Question 13

This reflex enables newborns to get nourishment before they have associated a nipple with food and also serves as a self-soothing or self-regulating mechanism.

Answer 13

sucking reflex

Question 14

occurs when the infant’s cheek is stroked or the side of the mouth is touched. In response, the infant turns its head ______ the side that was touched in an apparent effort to find something to suck.

Answer 14

rooting reflex
toward

Question 15

which occurs in response to a sudden, intense noise or movement. When startled, the newborn ____ its back, throws ____ its head, and flings out its arms and legs. Then the newborn rapidly draws in its arms and legs.

Answer 15

Moro reflex
arches
back

Question 16

By the end of the_____, the grasping reflex _____ and the infant shows a more ____ grasp.

Answer 16

third month
diminishes
voluntary

Question 17

which occurs when something touches the infant’s palms. The infant responds by _____ tightly.

Answer 17

Grasping reflex

grasping

Question 18

is a dynamic process that is linked with sensory information in the skin, joints, and muscles, which tell us where we arein space; in vestibular organs in the inner ear that regulate balance and equilibrium; and in vision and hearing

Answer 18

Posture

Question 19

is more than just holding still and straight.

Answer 19

Posture

Question 20

By about ______ of age, infants usually learn to pull themselves up and hold on to a chair, and they often can stand alone by about ____ months of age.

Answer 20

8 to 9 months
10 to 12q

Question 21

also develops gradually during the first year of life

Answer 21

Standing

Question 22

______ of age, babies can sit while supported on a lap or an infant seat, but they cannot sit independently until they are _____ of age

Answer 22

2 months
6 or 7 months

Question 23

they can hold their heads erect, and soon they can lift their heads while prone.

Answer 23

Within a few weeks

Question 24

allows the infant to gain contact with objects that were previously out of reach and to initiate interaction with parents and other adults, thereby promoting language development

Answer 24

Walking

Question 25

Researchers have found that alternating leg movements occur during the _____ and at ____

Answer 25

fetal period and at birth

Question 26

To walk upright, the baby must be able both to ____ on one leg as the other is swung forward and to shift weight from one leg to the other.

Answer 26

balance

Question 27

are closely linked, especially inwalking upright

Answer 27

Locomotion and postural control

Question 28

involve finely tuned movements.

Answer 28

fine motor skills

Question 29

involve large muscle activity

Answer 29

gross motor skills

Question 30

Grasping a toy, using a spoon, buttoning a shirt, or any activity that requires finger dexterity demonstrates ____

Answer 30

fine motor skills

Question 31

2 types of grasps

Answer 31

Palmar grasp Pincer grip

Question 32

toward the end of the first year, infants also grasp small objects with their thumb and forefinger

Answer 32

pincer grip

Question 33

infants grip with the whole hand

Answer 33

palmar grasp

Question 34

Their grasping system is very ___

Answer 34

Flexible

Question 35

They vary their grip on an object depending on its _____, as well as the size of their own hands relative to the object's size

Answer 35

size, shape, and texture

Question 36

Infants grip small objects with their _____(and sometimes their middle finger too), but they grip large objects with ____of the fingers of one hand or _____.

Answer 36

thumb and forefinger all both hands

Question 37

is necessary for the infant to coordinate grasping

Answer 37

Perceptual-motor coupling

Question 38

are more likely to use vision as a guide

Answer 38

8-month-olds

Question 39

8-month-olds are more likely to use ____ as a guide

Answer 39

vision

Question 40

At different stages of development, ____ use different perceptual systems to coordinate grasping.

Answer 40

infants

Question 41

____ infants rely greatly on touch to determine how they will grip an object

Answer 41

Four-month-old

Question 42

Four-month-old infants rely greatly on ____ to determine how they will grip an object

Answer 42

touch

Question 43

At different stages of development, infants use different _____to coordinate grasping.

Answer 43

perceptual systems