Infant Psychosocial and Cognitive Development

1
Infant Psychosocial and Cognitive Development

• By Nicole Rios

2
Unit 4 Project

• Developmental Stages Chart
• Using the charts on milestones of development
  found in our text along with other unit material,
  create a chart of your own. This chart needs to
  combine some landmarks in each of the following
  stages from birth to three years of age
• physical and motor development
• psychosocial development
• cognitive development

3
Unit 4 Project cont.

• When creating your chart, choose a reasonable
  sampling from each area these could be
  milestones of development that strike you as most
  meaningful.
• Expected developmental milestones are based on
  the idea that children tend to follow similar
  developmental patterns.
• When doing this activity, keep in mind that
  current thinking about expected patterns of
  growth and development tells us that multiple
  biological and environmental influences affect
  both the sequence and timing of motor skills.
• In addition, include a one-paragraph analysis
  addressing the fact that individuals develop at
  varying rates.

4
Unit 4 Project Rubric

• You used the charts on milestones of development
  found in the text along with other unit material
  to create a chart. A paragraph reflected current
  thinking about expected patterns of growth and
  development, that multiple biological and
  environmental influences affect both the sequence
  and timing of motor skills ___/15 points
• The chart combined some landmarks and a
  reasonable sampling of meaningful milestones from
  each area in each of the following stages from
  birth to three years of age physical and motor
  development 20 points psychosocial development
  20 points and cognitive development 20
  points___/60 points
• Project was free of grammar, usage, mechanics and
  spelling errors ___/10 pointsTotal
• Points out of a possible 100___/100 points

5
Psychosocial Development

• Milestones and Theories

6
Question

• What are some social and emotional milestones for
  
• infants?

7
Psychosocial (Social and Emotional) Development
Milestones

• Birth to Age 1
• Shows trust and attachment to
• primary caregiver
• Recognizes familiar voices
• Shows feelings
• Responds positively to family members or
  caregivers
• May suffer from separation anxiety or stranger
  anxiety
• Enjoys social games (such as peek-a-boo)

8
Question

• What are some ways to promote social and
  emotional development
• in infants?

9
Promoting Psychosocial (Social and Emotional)
Development in Infants

• Be nurturing and responsive to their needs to
  ensure healthy attachments develop
• Be empathetic and accepting of the infants needs
• Provide predictable care for the infant
• Provide opportunities for exercise and play in
  social environments
• Talk, sing, read to and play with infants

10
Psychosocial Theories

• Ericksons Theory of Psychosocial Development
• Attachment Theory
• Social Learning Theory

11
Eriksons Theory of Psychosocial Development

• According to Erikson, the shaping of the self is
  marked by
• The search for identity
• The individuals relationships
• The role of culture
• The passage through developmental stages (which
  begin at birth)

12
Eriksons Theory Infancy Stage

• Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth to age 1)
• Infants develop trust when
• They encounter nurturing,
• warm, and predictable
• interactions with their caregivers
• Their needs (physical and
• emotional) are met
• Infants develop mistrust when caregivers neglect,
  reject, or fail to respond to infants

13
Question

• Based on Eriksons theory, how can we help
  infants develop trust?

14
Attachment Theory

• Infants form loving, emotional attachments with
  parents
• John Bowlby is a psychiatrist who studied
  attachment. He focused his studies on children
  who were raised in institutions.

15
Attachment TheoryFindings of John Bowlby

• Infants who had formed strong relationships with
  their mothers and were separated from their
  mothers for extended periods of time developed
  resistance to close relationships
• Children raised in institutions were unable to
  form lasting relationships with others
• In these institutions, all of their physical
  needs were met, however they were not necessarily
  cared for in a nurturing and affectionate manner.
  

16
Question

• What does attachment theory tell us about the
  emotional needs of infants?

17
Social Learning Theory

• Role models shape the development of human beings
• Socialization is a process that influences the
  behaviors, values, interactions, etc.
• An infants development depends on their social
  interactions and environment

18
Question

• What are the implications of social learning
  theory on our interactions with infants?

19
Cognitive and Language Development

• Milestones and Theories

20
Question

• What are some cognitive and language milestones
  for infants?

21
Cognitive and Language Development Milestones

• Birth to Age 1
• Communicates through crying, cooing, whimpering,
  and facial expressions
• Smiles and laughs
• Uses gestures to communicate (waving, clapping,
  baby signs)
• Produces vowel sounds with some consonants
• Produces words (closer to 1 year old)
• Looks at books and interacts with toys

22
Question

• What are some ways to promote language and
  cognitive development in infants?

23
Promoting Cognitive and Language Development in
Infants

• Birth to Age 1
• Talk, sing, read to, tell stories, and play with
  infants
• Provide lots of interaction
• Provide age-appropriate toys
• Use child-directed speech
• Create a safe environment in which infant can
  explore
• Provide stimulating experiences (but avoid
  over-stimulation)

24
Cognitive Theories

• Piagets Theory
• Information Processing Theory
• Social Interactionist Theory
• Contextualist Theory

25
Cognitive Development Piagets Theory

• Cognitive development results because we are
  constantly trying to make sense of the world.
• Four factors influence our cognitive
  developmentbiological maturation, activity,
  social experience, and equilibration (our effort
  to organize information and fit it into our
  knowledge schemes)
• Cognitive development takes place in stages

26
Piagets TheoryThe Infants Stage of Development

• Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years)
• 0-1 month reflexes develop with sensory
  experiences and human interactions
• 1-4 months motor activity becomes purposeful and
  intentional
• 4-8 months infants develop simple cause and
  effect understanding (Ex if they hit water in
  the tub, it will splash)
• 8-12 months infants develop object permanence
  (they know that an object exists even if they
  cannot see or touch it)
• 12-24 months infants develop symbolic
  representations (thinking before acting,
  imagination)

27
Question

• How can we promote cognitive development in the
  sensorimotor stage?

28
Cognitive Development Information Processing
Theory

• Cognitive development is based on inputs,
  throughputs, and outputs
• Inputs Infant gathers information though their
  senses
• Throughputs Infants process the new information
  by comparing it to other information already
  stored
• Outputs Infants respond to new information
  through motor and verbal responses

29
Question

• Based on this theory, what types of activities or
  interactions would support the cognitive
  development of infants?

30
Cognitive Development Social Interactionist
Theory

• Infants learn new information through
• Observations of others
• Imitating others
• Social situations

31
Question

• In your opinion, does nature (biological and
  genetic influences) or nurture (social and
  environmental influences) have a greater effect
  on cognitive development? Why?

32
Cognitive Development Contextualistic Theory

• Development in all domains (not only cognitive)
  is a result of reciprocal influences
• The child influences the environment as he/she
  develops and the environment influences the child
  as he/she develops
• Child development is an interactive process
  between the child and his/her social and cultural
  influences

33
Weekly Quote

• Example isn't another way to teach, it is the
  only way to teach."
  
• Albert Einstein

34
References

• Puckett, M. Black, J. (2005). The Young Child.
  New Jersey Pearson Education Inc.