DEVELOPMENTAL
STAGES OF THE INFANCY
PERIOD
Kilee Thomas
12/05/2014
University of Phoenix
Prof. Stacie Flynn
PSY/203
Infants are born with many basic reflexes such as the rooting reflex
(a touch on the cheek means a turn of the head), the eye-blink reflex
(the blink of the eye protecting from bright light), and the Palmer grasp reflex (the curling of fingers when the palm is touched).
Most of these reflexes fade within six months after birth.
(Nevid, 2012)
REFLEX DEVELOPMENT
The Palmer’s Grasp Reflex
The basic reflexes that carry over into adulthood are;
The blinking reflex, when the eye is touched or a bright light is sudden.
The cough reflex when the airway is stimulated.
The gag reflex when the throat or back of the mouth is stimulated.
The sneeze reflex when the nasal passages are irritated.
The yawn reflex when the body need oxygen.
REFLEXES THAT CARRY OVER INTO
ADULTHOOD
Vision
Vision is one of the slowest senses to develop.
By one month of age infants can follow moving objects
By two months vision and depth perception have developed. Hearing
Newborns can differ their mothers voices from other voices in the room.
Smell
At five to six days old infants can detect their mothers scent.
They react with a frown to the smell of rotten eggs, and react with a smile to the smell of chocolate or bananas.
SENSORY DEVELOPMENT
Imprinting: formation of a strong bond of attachment to the first moving object seen after birth.
Concerns about daycare on attachment, but it is proven that high quality centers that promote independence and cooperative play has positive facts.
Konrad Lorenz, dubbed father goose, and his goslings
ATTACHMENT
(NEVID, 2012)
From birth to one year infants develop a sense of trust and mistrust for their caregivers and their environment.
If the parents are warm and responsive the a sense of trust will develop. If the parents are not present or act cold then a sense of mistrust will develop.
PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
(NEVID, 2012)
Infants are born with simple schema, or an organized system of actions, of basic reflexes.
Eventually they learn that the schema work more effectively on some objects than others.
The child then adapts to the new challenge.
Adaption consists of two different processes, assimilation and
