Motor Development in Infancy

Developmental Psychologists conducted many experiments related to motor skills on infants. Motor development in infancy is very rapid. Motor development plays an important role in child development. This development leads to the movement of muscles like arms, legs, and feet.

These motor skills are used for walking, jumping, and so on. Motor development is dependent on heredity and environmental factors. Motor development in children plays the most important role.

Types of Motor Development in Infancy

Motor development is explained according to categories. They are fine motor development and gross motor development. Fine motor development skills are presented with the help of hands and fingers. Gross motor development is presented with the help of whole-body movement.

Motor Development Examples

Infant holds head erect and steady for approximately 6 weeks and rolls from side to back approximately 2 months.

Perceptual Development in Infancy and Toddler

In the Infancy stage, Infant’s perceptual development plays an important role than motor development. Perceptual development refers to the five senses. They are sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.

1. Vision   It is possible by eyes. In the first half-year, Infants can better control their eye movements. At birth, the vision of the infant is 20/200. And, infant clearly focuses on objects about 7-8 inches away.

Two aspects of vision. They are- Depth perception and pattern perception.

       I.   Depth Perception  It leads to judging the distance of objects. With the help of depth perception, a child has understood the external condition of the environment and guided motor skills. In 1960, Gibson’s experiment showed that Infant has depth perception.

    II.  Pattern Perception   An infant recognizes pattern perception like face pattern. Infant’s tendency to search for face perception as a whole. The infant identifies the face pattern as a whole than parts.

2.  Hearing  Ears are responsible for hearing. Between 4 to 7 months, infants display a sense of sound in a proper way. And between 6 to 7 months, infants can distinguish musical tunes. End the first year, infants recognize the same melody.

3. Touch   It is presented with the help of the skin. The skin is a sense organ.

Around 7 weeks infant can identify the mother’s touch and feel happy. The mother can touch the infant’s chin and the infant identifies the mother’s touch with smiles.

4.  Smell and Taste   Around 9 to 12 months, infants identify the smell of milk (Mother’s breast milk) and the taste of the milk. Development Psychologists conducted one experiment on infants related to identifying the smell of milk.

Key Features of Motor Development of Infancy and Toddler

• After the prenatal period, the Infancy period leads to the fastest development.
• In this period, an infant is totally dependent on parents and caregivers.
• The infant shows the feeling with the help of motor skills and facial expressions.

John Bowlby Attachment Theory