Portage Learning / PSYCH 140 /review STUDY GUIDE Latest
RATED A+
Module 3 Review
The Newborn
The smell of a newborn infant. The feel of holding a baby in your arms.
Kissing tiny fingers and toes. These are sensations that parents relish their
entire lives. Many developmental experts note that babies seem to evoke very
nurturing responses in most healthy adults, due to their appearance and
dependency.
,A. Infant Reflexes
Despite being entirely dependent on caregivers, infants come equipped with
reflexes that either protect them or enable them to get an early start on motor
skills. Each of these reflexes eventually go away when no longer needed. A
lingering reflex may indicate brain damage. A list of key infant reflexes is
below. See if you know or can guess what the function of each is:
• rooting
• moro reflex
• grasping reflex (also known as Palmer grasp)
• stepping reflex
Answers:
Rooting involves the baby turning her head when her cheek or mouth is
touched. It presumably aids feeding as the infant finds something to suck.
, Moro reflex is a startle response in which the infant arches his back and
throws out his arms and legs. The infant behaves much as we would if we felt
we were falling and tried to grab something to protect ourselves. Thus, some
researchers believe that this reflex has survival value.
Most adults know that placing a finger in an infant’s palm will trigger the
grasping reflex. This grasp can be extremely strong! This reflex appears to be
a stepping stone to additional motor development, as when an infant becomes
able to grasp things voluntarily.
The stepping reflex involves the infant making stepping motions when held
above a surface. Again, it may serve as a building block for future motor
development.
Please watch the following video that shows and describes infant reflexes: If
you are interested in learning more about infant reflexes, you might want to
look up these additional ones: Babinski reflex, tonic neck, swimming reflex.
B. Sleep and Newborn States
Humans at any age go through various sleep/wake states throughout a given
day. For example, we may be asleep, fully awake, or drowsy. Similarly, infants
move through different states. However, sleep clearly takes up the most time
on a newborn infant’s schedule, since newborns typically sleep 16 to 18 hours
per day.
When sleeping, infants may be in either nREM sleep or REM sleep. These
patterns of infant sleep start developing around 6 weeks of age. Prior to that,
RATED A+
Module 3 Review
The Newborn
The smell of a newborn infant. The feel of holding a baby in your arms.
Kissing tiny fingers and toes. These are sensations that parents relish their
entire lives. Many developmental experts note that babies seem to evoke very
nurturing responses in most healthy adults, due to their appearance and
dependency.
,A. Infant Reflexes
Despite being entirely dependent on caregivers, infants come equipped with
reflexes that either protect them or enable them to get an early start on motor
skills. Each of these reflexes eventually go away when no longer needed. A
lingering reflex may indicate brain damage. A list of key infant reflexes is
below. See if you know or can guess what the function of each is:
• rooting
• moro reflex
• grasping reflex (also known as Palmer grasp)
• stepping reflex
Answers:
Rooting involves the baby turning her head when her cheek or mouth is
touched. It presumably aids feeding as the infant finds something to suck.
, Moro reflex is a startle response in which the infant arches his back and
throws out his arms and legs. The infant behaves much as we would if we felt
we were falling and tried to grab something to protect ourselves. Thus, some
researchers believe that this reflex has survival value.
Most adults know that placing a finger in an infant’s palm will trigger the
grasping reflex. This grasp can be extremely strong! This reflex appears to be
a stepping stone to additional motor development, as when an infant becomes
able to grasp things voluntarily.
The stepping reflex involves the infant making stepping motions when held
above a surface. Again, it may serve as a building block for future motor
development.
Please watch the following video that shows and describes infant reflexes: If
you are interested in learning more about infant reflexes, you might want to
look up these additional ones: Babinski reflex, tonic neck, swimming reflex.
B. Sleep and Newborn States
Humans at any age go through various sleep/wake states throughout a given
day. For example, we may be asleep, fully awake, or drowsy. Similarly, infants
move through different states. However, sleep clearly takes up the most time
on a newborn infant’s schedule, since newborns typically sleep 16 to 18 hours
per day.
When sleeping, infants may be in either nREM sleep or REM sleep. These
patterns of infant sleep start developing around 6 weeks of age. Prior to that,
