motor development

Question 1

dynamic systems theory (DST)

Answer 1

explains how behaviour changes over time with an emphasis that there are multiple causes for different behaviour

Question 2

DST causes of behaviour

Answer 2

increase in strength and weight

neural mechanisms

posture control

balance

perceptual skills

motivation

Question 3

milestones

Answer 3

• most children will arrive at these milestones
• they are ‘attractors’ like magnets
• they may arrive via different routes
• depends on experimentation, curiosity and learning

Question 4

Fine motor skills

Answer 4

• use small muscles
• e.g. grasping, object manipulation, drawing

Question 5

Gross motor skills

Answer 5

• much larger - more muscles
• sitting
• reaching
• crawling
• walking
• running

Question 6

stepping reflex

Answer 6

• co ordination behaviour resembling walking
• alternating leg movements
• disappears around 2months because of weight gain faster than muscle gain

Question 7

Thelen stepping reflex experiment

Answer 7

weights attached to infants who still had stepping reflex - reflex went away

infants who no longer had the reflex were suspended in waist deep water that supported their weight - reflex reappeared

neural basis remains but is masked by weight

Question 8

sitting independently

Answer 8

• sitting with no support from arms
• has cascading effect on infant perception –> new opportunities for exploring - arms are free to do things now
• learn: figure group assignment

Question 9

figure group assignment

Answer 9

ALLOWS US TO IDENTIFY OBJECTS FROM THE BACKGROUND

• understand depth and plan reaching
• adults use symmetry, convexity, lower region, to determine figure/ground
• infants need figure/ground segregation to guide attention, eye movements and learning

Question 10

reaching

Answer 10

becomes stable after independent sitting

Question 11

grasping

Answer 11

more signs with increased experience

Question 12

soft assembly

Answer 12

lots of components coming together in the moment

locate the goal - have a stable base - control arm extension = in order to successfully reach

Question 13

variable timing

Answer 13

need all components to ‘assemble’ into a successful reach

Question 14

sticky mittens

Answer 14

post sticky mittens children had highly greater developed mechanisms

effects persist for 12 months

Question 15

Piaget A not B

Answer 15

Hide toy at A, infant finds - repeat 6x

Hide toy at B, infant still searches A not B

• no object permanence until 10 months
• behaviour not product of past
• result of previous attention to A and practice reaching to A

Question 16

crawling comes from a fear of…

Answer 16

heights

Question 17

Adolph walking and crawling study

Answer 17

longitudinal crawling to walking

knowledge does not transfer from crawling to walking

if realise fear of heights during crawling, must relearn this fear when beginning to walk

67% plunged down all slopes

Question 18

importance of falling

Answer 18

• helps us understand the role of errors in early development
• falling does not alter subsequent behaviour - after fall 1.84s to return to play
• impact dependent on body size and infants’ quick reactive behaviours

Question 19

how many seconds to return to play after a fall

Answer 19

1.84

Question 20

road crossing: highest rates of pedestrian injuries

Answer 20

5-14 years

Question 21

where most road pedestrian accidents occur

Answer 21

when crossing middle of road - not corners

• shortest path to school often requires middle of road crossing

Question 22

ages slowest to enter road

Answer 22

6-10

Question 23

crossing roads with friends

Answer 23

• pairs cross virtual road 30x
• half on left half on right
• stream of traffic came at 25mph
• random gaps of 2s-5s
• no inst to cross together or alone + could wait as long as they like