Newborn Sense Experiences

Slide 1 of 17: Synopsis

Human Development Video Activity
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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.
cerebral cortex
The folded outer layers of the brain covering the cerebrum that are critically involved in many complex functions, such as memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness.
dishabituation
The process of reversing habituation. The restoration of the physiological response to a stimulus that had previously dissipated because of habituation.
habituation
The process of becoming so familiar with a particular stimulus that it no longer elicits the physiological response that it did when it was originally experienced.
infant
A baby in the first year of life.
infants
A baby in the first year of life
Moro reflex
If a newborn is allowed to drop unexpectedly while being held, he will throw his arms outward while arching his back and then bring his arms together as if grasping something. The meaning of this reflex is somewhat disputed, and it disappears after 6 or 7 months of life.
nearsighted
The inability to see distant objects clearly.
neonate
A newborn child up to the age of four weeks old.
neonates
A newborn child up to the age of four weeks old.
neuron
A nerve cell that receives and communicates information throughout the body as part of the central nervous system.
neurons
A nerve cell that receives and communicates information throughout the body as part of the central nervous system.
occipital lobe
The posterior lobe of the brain. Visual signals from the retina are interpreted in the occipital lobe.
phoneme
The smallest sound unit in a human language that has the ability to distinguish meaning.
phonemes
The smallest sound unit in a human language that has the ability to distinguish meaning.
retina
The inner light-receptive surface of the eye that sends impulses via the optic nerve to the occipital lobe, where the impulses are interpreted into visual images.
rooting reflex
A reflex that helps a newborn find a nipple. When the cheek is stroked, the newborn turns his/her head toward the stimulus and attempts to suck on it.
synapse
The microscopic gap across which the axon of a neuron can transfer an electrical impulse to the dendrites of an adjacent neuron.
synapses
The microscopic gap across which the axon of a neuron can transfer an electrical impulse to the dendrites of an adjacent neuron.
Newborn lying on back with headphones on

Author

S. Stavros Valenti, Hofstra University

Synopsis

In this activity, you will explore the sensory world of newborns in their first year and some of the research on early newborn sense experiences.

References

Eimas, P. D. (1985). The perception of speech in early infancy. Scientific American, 252, 66–72.

Johnson, M. H., Dziurawiec, S., Ellis, H., & Morton, J. (1991). Newborns’ preferential tracking of facelike stimuli and its subsequent decline. Cognition, 40, 1–19.

Kellman, P. J., & Banks, M. S. (1998). Infant visual perception. In R. Siegler & D. Kuhn (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol., 2 (5th ed., pp. 103–146). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Marlier, L., Schaal, B., & Soussignan, R. (1998). Neonatal responsiveness to the odor of amniotic and lacteal fluids: A test of perinatal chemosensory continuity. Child Development, 68, 611–623.

Russell, M. J., Mendelson, T., & Peeke, H. V. (1983). Mothers’ identification of their infant’s odors. Ethology & Sociobiology, 4, 29–31.