Chapter 4 Infancy from the Newborn Baby to the Toddler Infant Senses o All 5 senses function at birth o Perception the brain s processing of the sensation develops over time o Newborn Sense of Vision Least developed of senses at birth Quite nearsighted Unable to see long distances focus clearly Between mother s nipple and face Best focus Face preference is strong Improvements in Vision Scan environment o Tracking o Actively seeking visual stimulation o Try to track interesting objects Color vision improves in first two months Depth perception around 2 months Caution with heights around 6 months Adult vision 20 20 by one year Steps in Pattern Perception 3 weeks poor contrast sensitivity prefer large simple patterns especially black and white 2 months can detect fine grained detail prefer complex patterns 4 months can detect patterns even if boundaries are not really present 12 months can detect objects even with 2 3 of the pattern missing o Hearing Prenatal Fetus responds to sounds beginning around 3 months gestation At Birth Hearing is well developed Especially sensitive to sound frequencies of human voice Can distinguish high pitched sounds better than adults Infants respond to Baby talk Sudden noises Human voice phonemes of language o Phonemes the basic distinctive units of speech sound by which morphemes words and sentences are represented Different for each language 6 8 months can detect or screen out sounds from non native languages 10 12 months can no longer distinguish between non native languages The Research of Janet Werker Infants respond to and discriminate among speech sounds of different languages Janet Werker discusses infant behaviors in relationship to certain speech sounds the head turn procedure used in this clip and the conclusions this study has led to o Smell Have odor preferences at birth o Taste Can locate odors and ID mother by smell from birth Newborns prefer sweet tastes at birth Quickly learn to like new tastes Brain Development Infancy o Development of the CNS Processes information and directs behavior Division of the nervous system that consists of brain and spinal cord Develops at many levels at the same time Reciprocal interplay between biology and context affects brain development o The Brain Brain development Subcortical structures o First to emerge in development o Controls state sleep awake arousal Limbic system o Develops second o Manages emotions Cortex and association areas o Emerges last o Finishes developing last o Attention memory integration of information higher order o The Limbic System reasoning The limbic system is crucial for the expression and regulation of emotions Parts of the Limbic System Amygdala registers emotions especially fear and anxiety o Fight or flight o Emotions evident during infancy and toddlerhood The hippocampus processes memory especially in locations Hypothalamus produces hormones that regulate the body including stress hormones Too much stress in childhood can destroy neurons of the hippocampus leading to permanent memory and learning deficits o Cortex Thin layers of outer tissue that cover the brain Contains 75 of brain s cells Specialized functions of diff cortex areas Visual Auditory Sensorimotor Frontal Wernicke s Broca s o Areas of the Brain Corpus Collosum Connects the 2 hemispheres of the brain This leads to communication between the 2 halves o Brain Cells The anatamy of a neuron brain cell Neurons brain cells that transmit info across brain and body Gray matter neurons and their connections axons and dendrites o The Neuron and Synapse Synaptogenesis development of connections between neurons via growth of axons and dendrites peaks at age 1 continues through childhood evidence shows that it occurs in elderly at a much slower rate Synaptic Pruning elimination of unused and unnecessary synapses begins in first years continues through young adulthood o The Importance of Myelination Myelination speeds up neural transmission leading to improvements in memory impulse control and contemplation Both maturation and practice affect this process If someone were to practice a motor skill or thinking process the axons would be myelinated more quickly Myelination occurs sequentially Vision and movement myelinated first Early childhood fibers connect cerebellum to cerebral cortex o Balance and movement Childhood hand eye coordination areas o The Whole Brain o Brain Plasticity Although each hemisphere of the brain specializes in certain functions i e lateralization the whole brain is involved in every cognitive skill The brains of young children compensate more easily for the effects of brain damage should it occur Although cells are destined to serve a particular function they can be changed Experience expectant processes those the brain is wired to process ex hearing Experience dependent processes involve the active formation of new synaptic connections in response to experience We create own development through active involvement with the environment Brain easily influenced when the specific area of the brain is developing rapidly
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