2 Motor Development
LG2 Describe infants' motor development.
The Dynamic Systems View
Reflexes
Gross Motor Skills
Fine Motor Skills
As a newborn, Ramona, whom you read about in the chapter opening, could suck, fling her arms,
and tightly grip a finger placed in her tiny hand. Within just two years, she would be around on her own, opening d
and jars as she explored herlittle world. Are her inevitable? How do infants develop their motor skills, and which skills do they develop when?
THE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS VIEW
Developmentalist Arnold Gesell (1934) thought his painstaking observations had revealed how
people develop their motor skills. He had discovered that infants and children develop rolling,
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CHAPTER 4
Physical Development in Infancy