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[6] Duncan, G., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2000). Family poverty, welfare reform, and child development. Child Development, 71(1),
188–196; Haber, M., & Toro, P. (2004). Homelessness among families, children, and adolescents: An ecological–developmental
perspective. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 7(3), 123–164.
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socio-emotional adjustment. Child Development, 73(4), 1238–1248; Gunnar, M., & Quevedo, K. (2007). The neurobiology of
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6.2 Infancy and Childhood: Exploring and Learning
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Describe the abilities that newborn infants possess and how they actively interact with their environments.
- List the stages in Piaget’s model of cognitive development and explain the concepts that are mastered in each stage
- Critique Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and describe other theories that complement and expand on it.
- Summarize the important processes of social development that occur in infancy and childhood.
If all has gone well, a baby is born sometime around the 38th week of pregnancy. The fetus is
responsible, at least in part, for its own birth because chemicals released by the developing fetal
brain trigger the muscles in the mother’s uterus to start the rhythmic contractions of childbirth.
The contractions are initially spaced at about 15-minute intervals but come more rapidly with
time. When the contractions reach an interval of 2 to 3 minutes, the mother is requested to assist
in the labor and help push the baby out.
The Newborn Arrives With Many Behaviors Intact
Newborns are already prepared to face the new world they are about to experience. As you can
see in Table 6.2 "Survival Reflexes in Newborns", babies are equipped with a variety of reflexes,
each providing an ability that will help them survive their first few months of life as they
continue to learn new routines to help them survive in and manipulate their environments.