Understanding Physical Development in Infancy

1. Distinguish among the three key sequences of physical development.
• The difference between cephalocaudal development, proximodistal development, and differentiation is that, cephalocaudal development tend to proceed from the upper part of the head to the lower part of the body. Whereas proximodistal is when the baby grows from the inside of the body outward. Both of cephalocaudal and proximodistal have a lot to do with the way the baby’s body develops, whereas differentiation has to do with how the baby’s behavior becomes more specific and distinct.
2. In what ways does the brain develop physically during infancy? Why is myelination important?
• The brain develops physically during infancy in a random and ill-organized way because the myelin develops rapidly along the major motor pathways this is from the cerebral cortex on the last month of pregnancy and it continues to develop after birth. The myelination is important because like the book said, “Coincides with myelination as the unorganized movements of the neonate come under increased control.” Myelination to some degree continues into adolescences, it also helps progress the interconnections between various areas of the cortex.
3. Describe the changes that occur in locomotion during infancy. Include information

about norms for turning, sitting, crawling, and walking.
• The changes in locomotion varies do to age in which infants engage in different activities.

Like at 12weeks, they are learning to turn from stomach to side and from their stomach to their backs again. When the baby is seven months, they usually begin to sit up by themselves. At nine months most infants try to crawl, some baby’s lie on their backs and use their arms to pull themselves. When they crawl they start to creep and kneel up. When it comes to walking they first learn to stand which, “overlaps with crawling, and creeping.” Infants when they try to walk they hold onto stuff that can help them support their body and be able to walk a little. After 12 to 15 months they walk by

themselves.
4. What is the difference between the ulnar grasp and the pincer grasp?
• The difference between ulnar grasp and pincer is that, ulnar is when infants hold objects between their fingers and palm. When they are four to six months they can transfer the objects back and forth between hands. Pincer grasps is when infants grasp between the fingers and thumb, this comes to play at about 9 to 12 months enabling infants to pick up tiny objects.
5. What is depth perception? When does it develop? How do we know?
• Depth perception allows us to see in 3D but it also helps us to judge the distance between objects. Depth perception starts to develop at six to eight months of age, this is when infants learn to crawl. We know the depth of objects because of how the objects around us look, but with infants studies said that, “infants profit from some experience crawling about (and, perhaps, accumulating some bumps) before they develop fear of heights.”