Chapter 9, Problem 1PT

Summary Introduction

Introduction:

The brains of babies have some specific neural circuits that help in the identification of biological motion, inanimate motion of objects, and identification of faces and their movements.

Answer to Problem 1PT

Correct answer:

One week old infants can differentiate the taste of sweet, have the ability for grasping fingers of caregivers, recognize and orient towards the sound, smell and suck the nipple of mothers for breast milk. Therefore, options (a), (c), (e), (i), and (j) are correct.

Option (a) is given as “differentiate between sweet and nonsweet tastes”.

Option (c) is given as “grasp a caregiver's finger”.

Option (e) is given as “orient toward loud sounds”.

Option (i) is given as “turn his or her head toward the smell of the mother's breast milk.”

Option (j) is given as “turn toward a nipple near his or her mouth”.

Explanation of Solution

Justify reasons for the correct statement:

Newborn babies usually born with developed perceptual skills such as smelling, tasting, hearing, and responding to touch. One week old infant can differentiate among the taste of sweet and nonsweet. Infants have the ability to recognize the sound and they can react to it, hence, they orient towards the loud noise. Newborn infants can hold fingers of mothers or caregivers due to grasping reflex. Also, they able to smell and suck the nipple of their mother for breast milk or similar kind of object near to their mouths due to rooting reflex and sucking reflex.

They gain experience from people and object at the age of six months and their auditory function reaches an adult level. The development of a sense of vision is slower when compared to hearing ability.

Justify reasons for the incorrect statements:

Option (b) is given as “display social smiles”.

First social smiles usually found at 6 months, not at one week. Hence, it is a wrong answer.

Option (d) is given as “make eye contact”.

Visual acuity (ability to distinguish shapes, colors, and patterns) is low for distant objects and it raises over six months. Adult level of visual acuity reaches around one year. Visual practice, development of the cortex and cones in the retina increases the visual acuity with age. Hence, it is a wrong answer.

Option (f) is given as “recognize his or her name”.

One week born baby cannot recognize his or her name. Hence, it is a wrong answer.

Option (g) is given as “roll over from stomach to back”. 

One week born baby cannot roll over from the stomach to back. Hence, it is a wrong answer.

Option (h) is given as “see a caregiver across the room”.

Visual acuity (ability to distinguish shapes, colors, and patterns) is low for distant objects and it raises over six months The development of memory aids infants to learn about the world. The long-term memory occurs after 18 months of infants. Hence, it is a wrong answer.

Hence, options (b), (d), (f), (g), and (h) are incorrect.

Conclusion

One week old infants can differentiate tastes, grasp fingers of mothers or caregivers, recognize the sound, smell and suck the nipple of mothers for breast milk.