Describe the psychological implications of early motor development

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

As a baby acquires the ability to move about a room, the social dynamic changes dramatically in the household. The infant now has to be protected from certain types of exploration, and "no" is a word he or she is now more likely to encounter. This lays the groundwork for clashes between the parent and child that would not have occurred without this new motor milestone.

The ability to move about also promotes cognitive development of perceptual skills. An infant who can move experiences optic flow that allows images to appear larger and smaller on the retina depending on their own movements, not just on the movements of others toward and away from them. These experiences of optic flow as determined by one's own movements promote a child's ability to understand how to orient him or herself in space. Understanding of depth perception consequently is enhanced, and we see an emergence of the ability to use landmarks to guide oneself through space, indicating some development of visual memory.