INFANT LEARNING Infant learning and brain development is fragile and contingent upon numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The most critical time frame for infant brain development is from the second trimester to the first three months of life (Marshall, 2011). During this time, neural pathways are forming, areas of the brain are maturing, and brain development is rapid. From infancy until the age of 3 years, neural pathways are still being formed in response to stimulation and for this reason, it is extremely important for caregivers and parents to be aware of the many factors that can influence brain development in infants (Marshall, 2011).
Popular Psychology Common beliefs regarding infant learning tend to focus on the issue of
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Therefore, the rapidly developing cognitive functions of infants necessitate even more rapid and consistent sleep cycles to foster their learning. Sleep plays a role in the memory consolidation process when the baby is awake. It has not yet been determined if infants can learn while asleep (Tarullo, Balsam & Fifer, 2011).
Environmental Factors Among the many environmental factors that can affect infant learning, prenatal cigarette exposure has proven to be a topic of interest in behavioral teratology due to the large number of health effects it is associated with. Some of the health effects of prenatal cigarette exposure include: lower birth weight, smaller head circumference, lower IQ, attention dysfunction, hyperactivity and other conduct problems, as well as school failure (Mezzacappa, E., 2011, p. 881-891). There are some human studies that investigate the cognitive deficits related to prenatal cigarette exposure which include: auditory, visual attention, and working memory issues.
Social Development Gazing plays a central role in the social and cognitive development of a child. It is documented that from the age of 3 months, a child will begin to develop perceptual learning. An example of this hypothesis was tested with an actor holding a stuffed kitten in front a 1 year old. The 1 year old stared at the kitten longer, therefore the infant’s desire for what the actor was holding caused the infant to interpret the actor’s behavior as
A significant element in a child’s life is a relationship with their parent and central to this is the aspect of infant-mother bond (Cook, 1999). Parents play a critical role in modeling the adult lives of their children. A research on early brain development revealed that early intervention of warm and receptive care given to children is critical for their growth. It is vital to encourage and offer optimum care for the young children. The way a child is nurtured is a factor in their early brain development. Positive nurturing care and love towards children in their infanthood up to around 6 years results in a positive brain growth (Tribble, 2012). With both parents working, adverse effects on child development may be experienced. Children
The latest research into development and learning of babies and young children shows that early stimulation are vital to the healthy development of brain. Babies are born with 100 billion neuron cells and they need to connect together in order to function. Many of these connections are made as result of what a baby senses and experiences. Stimulation, sufficient sleep and healthy diet makes a difference in allowing connections to be made. Development of brain begins well before birth. Neurons (cells in the brain which transmit electrical impulses to other cells) are formed between the 10th and 20th week of pregnancy. These cells are critical as they will later join together to allow the brain to function properly. Electrical pulses pass between cells via dendrites and axons which causes the connection between the neuron cells. The dendrites and axons of the neurons develop and begin the process of joining up in the final two months of pregnancy. Those that have not made enough strong connections are killed off and this is one reason why some children are
Cognitively, the way infants process information undergoes rapid changes during the infant’s first year. For instance, the Piagetian theory of cognitive development includes (1) the sensorimotor stage in which infants, through trial an error, build their understanding of things around the world (e.g. imitation of familiar behaviour); (p. 203, Chapter 6); (2) building schemas (e.g. a 5 month old child can move or drop an object fairly rigidly, whereas an older child can do the same action but with more intentional and creative movement);(p. 202, Chapter 6) and (3) the concept of object permanence (e.g. an infant knows that an object exists even though it is hidden encourages the child’s perceptual skills and awareness of the objects ‘realness’ in the world (p.
According to (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013), the brain begins to mature even before birth and it continues to mature throughout life. According to (Jetha & Segalowitz, 2012) all the brain functions do not mature at the same rate. A child with highly advanced verbal skills may develop gross and fine motor control more slowly and have trouble learning to write clearly (Jetha & Segalowitz, 2012). Learning differences are also related to genetics, temperament and environment (Thierry, 2008). As child born it has a function govern like their heartbeats, eating and sleeping.
Smoking during pregnancy has also been linked to child behavioral problems. Our text tells us that studies suggest exposure to tobacco can have long-term effects on children’s cognitive and social development. The studies show that there were higher rates of learning problems. There was also antisocial behavior among the children whose mothers smoked while being pregnant.
Partially because infancy is the time when most new information must be taken in as a part of development, scientists have
Brain development is very critical in the early stages of life. The brain begins to form very early in prenatal life, however, brain development is a life marathon not a sprint. This is why brain development and emergent literacy belongs together like peanut butter and jelly. Emergent literacy is a gradual process that takes place over time from birth; until a child can read and write in what we consider to be a conventional sense (Machado, 2013). Infants almost immediately communicate with their mother after birth, their bond initially begins when the mother holds them for the first time making eye contact; this is called gaze coupling. As the child brain develops over the next few weeks the mother and baby become attached. Making eye
Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stress, intake of drugs and/or alcohol, and quality of maternal nutrition.
When I saw the images of the normal and extremely neglected brain of those 3-year olds I could believe it. I knew that the love and care of a mother was important, but I had no idea it could have such a profound effect on the development of a babies brain. It really is amazing how something so small can have such a big effect on a child.
This stage lasts from birth to twelve months. In this stage, infants gain knowledge about their surrounding by using their senses. (Clarke-Stewart, Gruber, & Fitzgerald, 2007, p. 154). They recognize the faces of their caregivers and may respond to smiles. At these stage infants are generally attracted to bright colors, and show response to sound by turning towards the direction of the sound. Studies have indicated that infants between the ages of three and seven weeks have the ability to recognize shapes and pictures of human faces (Goswami, 1994, p. 376).
a, J., & Lehtonen, L. (2015). Smoking during pregnancy affects foetal brain development. Acta Paediatrica, 104(1), 12-18. doi:10.1111/apa.12791
After reading chapter 6, I decided to discuss how infants learn focusing on their cognitive development. Cognitive development focuses on four stages. The stages consist of the sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational sage, and lastly the formal operational stage. In regards to infants being able to learn, I am going to tune into the first stage. The sensorimotor stage is where the infant constructs an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with physical actions. An infant progresses from reflexive, instinctual action at birth to the beginning of symbolic thought toward the end of the stage (Santrock p. 21).
Healthy brain development in infants is critical during the first few moths of life. Infant brain development is a process which depends on endogenous and exogenous stimulation and a supportive environment (Marshall, 2011). During the third trimester, a critical period of brain and neurosensory development occurs as well as the first three months of a baby’s life. If not provided, infants may suffer the consequences of permanent deficits in the developing neurosensory systems as a result of disruption, damage, or deprivation in a social and physical environment. Marshall (2011) provides reconmendations for caregivers to improve infant’s developmenting brain while providing appropriate developmental stimulation and support.
Infant development is inseparable from the progression of the infant’s relationship with caregivers. Contemporary accounts of the early comments highlighted the role of parents and other guardians in supporting infants gradually (Lyons-Ruth & Zeanah, 1993). This is because the infant needs parents who can help her negotiate the developmental task. Thus, there are 4 stages to develop which is birth to 4 weeks, age 1 to 3 months, 3 to 6 months and 6 to 12 months.
During the first two years the brain is the most flexible and prepared to learn. At this time everything is new. Everything an infant does build brain connections. According to EDUCARER.org "Touch, talking and things an infant sees and smells all build connections if done with continuity in a loving, consistent, and