LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT 5 A Topical Approach to LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT Motor, Sensory, and Perceptual Development John W. Santrock

Motor, Sensory, and Perceptual Development Motor Development Sensory and Perceptual Development Perceptual-Motor Coupling

Dynamic Systems Theory Motor Development Dynamic Systems Theory Seeks to explain how motor behaviors are assembled for perceiving and acting Motivation leads to new motor behavior Nervous system Physical properties of body Requires active efforts

Sample Reflexes Sucking reflex Rooting reflex Moro reflex Motor Development Sample Reflexes Sucking reflex Automatic sucking object placed in newborn’s mouth Rooting reflex Reaction when infant’s cheek is stroked or side of the mouth is touched Moro reflex Startle response in reaction to sudden, intense noise or movement Grasping reflex Occurs when something touches the infant’s palms; the infant responds by grasping tightly

Gross Motor Skills Motor skills that involve large-muscle activities Motor Development Gross Motor Skills Motor skills that involve large-muscle activities Infancy - Learning to walk Childhood - Improve running, jumping, climbing, learn sports skills Adolescence - Skills continue to improve Adulthood - Peak performance of most sports before 30. Slow declines with age.

Milestones in Gross Motor Development

Motor Development Movement and Aging

Motor Development Fine Motor Skills Involve more finely tuned movements, such as finger dexterity Infancy - Reaching and grasping Early Childhood - Pick up small objects, build towers Childhood and adolescence - Writing and drawing skills emerge and improve. By 10-12, can do crafts, play musical instruments Adulthood - speed may decline in middle and late adulthood, but most use compensation strategies

Origin and Development of Handedness Motor Development Origin and Development of Handedness Genetic inheritance Right-handedness dominant in all cultures Hand preference possibly occurs in the womb

Handedness and Other Characteristics Motor Development Handedness and Other Characteristics Left-handers more common among Mathematicians Musicians Architects Artists

What Are Sensation and Perception? Sensory and Perceptual Development What Are Sensation and Perception? Sensation—occurs when information contacts sensory receptors Perception—interpretation of sensation

Sensory and Perceptual Development The Ecological View People directly perceive information in the world around them Perception brings people in contact with the environment to interact with it and adapt to it. Affordances—opportunities for interaction offered by objects necessary to perform activities

Studying Infant Perception Sensory and Perceptual Development Studying Infant Perception Visual preference method—developed by Fantz to determine whether infants can distinguish one stimulus from another Habituation and Dishabituation Habituation—decreased responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated presentations Dishabituation—recovery of habituated response after change in stimulation Tracking —use equipment to follow head and eye movements

Infants’ Visual Perception Sensory and Perceptual Development Infants’ Visual Perception Visual Acuity 20/600 at birth, near adult levels by 1 year Color Can see green & red at birth, all colors by 2 months Perceiving Patterns Prefer patterns at birth Improve face scanning by 2 mo. Depth Perception Developed by 7-8 months Visual Expectations Begin by 4 months Expect gravity by 6-8 months

Sensory and Perceptual Development Perceptual Constancy Size constancy Recognition that object remains the same even though the retinal image changes Shape constancy Recognition that object remains the same even though its orientation changes

Sensory and Perceptual Development Vision in Childhood Improve at color detection, visual expectations, controlling eye movements (for reading) Preschoolers may be farsighted Signs of vision problems Rubbing eyes, blinking, squinting Irritability at games requiring distance vision Closing one eye, tilting head to see, thrusting head forward to see

Aging Vision Loss of Accommodation - presbyopia Sensory and Perceptual Development Aging Vision Loss of Accommodation - presbyopia Decreased blood supply to eye - smaller visual field, bigger blind spot Slower dark adaptation Declining color vision - in green, blue, violet part of spectrum Declining depth perception - problems with steps or curbs

Sensory and Perceptual Development Glare Vision and Aging

Sensory and Perceptual Development Diseases of the Eye Cataracts—thickening eye lens that causes vision to become cloudy, opaque, and distorted Glaucoma—damage to optic nerve because of pressure created by buildup of fluid in eye Macular degeneration—involves deterioration of retina

Hearing Prenatal Can hear before birth Infancy Sensory and Perceptual Development Hearing Prenatal Can hear before birth Infancy Improve sensitivity to soft sounds, pitches; ability to localize Childhood Hearing usually fine Danger of otitis media Adolescence Most have excellent hearing Danger from loud music Adulthood Few changes until middle adulthood Hearing impairment increases with age

Other Senses Sense Infants Older Adults Touch and Pain Sensory and Perceptual Development Other Senses Sense Infants Older Adults Touch and Pain Newborns feel pain By 6 months, can coordinate vision and touch Less sensitive to pain and touch in lower extremities Smell Can differentiate odors at birth, show preferences Lose some sense of smell starting around age 60 Taste Might prefer sweet tastes before birth Like salty at 4 months Decline in taste of begins in 60s

Intermodal Perception Sensory and Perceptual Development Intermodal Perception Ability to relate and integrate information about two or more sensory modalities, such as vision and hearing

Perceptual-Motor Coupling Perceptual and doing had been considered separate processes Experts now suggest they are linked Perception guides action Action educates perception