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6: Infancy

  • Page ID
    234014
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    Learning Objectives

    After completing Chapter Six students will be able to:

    • Discuss physical development and growth in infancy
    • Outline the course of sensory and perceptual development
    • Summarize Piaget’s theory of infant development
    • Describe how infants learn and remember
    • Discuss the assessment of intelligence in infancy
    • Characterize early environmental influences on cognitive development
    • Describe the nature of language and how it develops in infancy
    • Discuss emotional and personality development in infancy
    • Describe how attachment develops in infancy
    • Explain how social contexts influence the infant’s social and emotional development

    “Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” Fred Rogers Children learn through play. They experience their world in a hands-on way. Infants are intrinsically motivated to explore their world and these multisensory experiences are the foundation of development in all domains: physical, cognitive, social and emotional.

    Infants are curious and want to explore the world around them and connect with the people in it. They are “active participants in their own development, reflecting the intrinsic human drive to explore and master one’s environment” (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine 2000, 1). In this chapter we will discuss the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth of infants.

    • 6.1: Physical Development in Infancy
      This page discusses the growth and development of infants, highlighting the significant physical, cognitive, social, and emotional strides made during the first year of life. It outlines growth patterns, such as the cephalocaudal and proximodistal trends and emphasizes the rapid brain development that occurs during this period. The page also underscores the importance of sleep, nutrition, and immunization for healthy development.
    • 6.2: Cognitive Development in Infancy
      The document elaborates on the theories and processes of cognitive and language development in infants, emphasizing the roles of nature and nurture. It highlights Jean Piaget's views on children actively constructing their cognitive world and achieving milestones like object permanence. Factors like nutrition and early interventions in poverty conditions are vital for cognitive development.
    • 6.3: Social and Emotional Development in Infancy
      This page discusses the emotional development of infants, emphasizing their sensitivity to others' emotional states and the importance of responding to their needs. It distinguishes between primary emotions, present in the first six months, and self-conscious emotions, which appear later. Strategies for managing crying, the significance of smiling, stranger anxiety, and social referencing are explained.


    This page titled 6: Infancy is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Deirdre Budzyna and Doris Buckley (Remixing Open Textbooks with an Equity Lens (ROTEL)) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.