Infant development paper

Human Development

Spring 2016

Introduction

The age group discussed in this reality assignment will be infancy. Holding a baby snugly in your arms brings pure joy and adoration to both the baby and the person holding the baby. There is something so beautiful about swaddling the pure innocence of a baby that is absolutely heartwarming. The rules for this assignment stated to hold the baby for 10 minutes, it is very difficult to only hold a baby for 10 minutes. The parent of the baby was a co-worker and he baby used for this study was 6 months old. The three topics discussed will cover the ulnar grasp, infant-directed speech, and intermodal perception.

Ulnar Grasp

One of the most heart-warming things about holding a baby is when it wraps its tiny little fingers around yours. The ulnar grasp is when the baby is able to close its hand around an object to grasp onto it (T. Christensen, class notes, CNL7023, Spring 2016). A baby is usually able to grasp objects by the age of 4 to 5 months. At this age the child is even able to transfer objects from one hand to the other.

Infant-directed speech

It is almost an automatic reaction for a person to use a different tone of voice when talking to a baby. Babies prefer listening to infant-directed speech that is high pitched and exaggerates the vowels (Erford, 2015, p. 126)

Intermodal Perception

While holding the baby it was noticeable that he could focus on what was being said to him rather than everything else that was going on in the room. This ability is called intermodal perception and usually develops around 5 to 7 months of age (Erford. 2015, p. 127).

Conclusion

Holding a baby is a very valuable experience that increases the bond between both the child and the adult. After learning more about the developmental of stages an infant goes though