Tamara Taylor

Psychology 1100
Reflection paper/ Infographic
July 31, 2017

Reflection Paper/ Infographic

Taking Life Span and Development has been an intriguing and informative course. It has

broadened my understanding of many topics pertaining to development, ageing, cognitive

thinking and learning, etc. Such as how the human body undergoes so many changes through the

course of ones life. I find it exciting that we have come this far as a race, having gained the

knowledge and science to better understand how we work physically and mentally.

For my reflection piece, the concept that I have chosen is physical and cognitive

development in infancy, also I wanted to mention socioemotional development in infancy

because it ties into the way we are shaped and think as individuals. I chose this topic because I

can relate it to my own childs infancy, a two-year-old girl. I found this topic to be of a great

significance, because it revolves around the developmental needs of infants. At this stage in our

lives we are dependent solely on others, e.g. parents, guardians, siblings, etc. There are many

things that can impact how we grow and develop; this is including but not limited to

environmental, social, family, etc. During this course, I have learned how all these factors can

play a big part in who we are as an individual both physically and mentally.

Through this Life Span and Development course, I have learned how infants grow both

physically and mentally. There are several different patterns that are mentioned in our text

(Essentials of Life-Span Development) explaining the processes of how we grow. One is

patterns that describe how we psychically grow from being infants onward into

adulthood. These terms and what they encompass are important because they provide us

with information to use, so that we know, and can identify if our children are developing

accordingly. The understanding of these concepts helps better prepare us for the myriad

of things that can happen during infancy that can impair a child such as: malnutrition,

disease, genetic impairments, and dangers that can be fatal during infancy, such as

(SIDS) sudden infant death syndrome.

Something that I found to be interesting was the Dynamic Systems Theory by

Arnold Gesell. Through his observations he came up with the theory explaining how

maturation is due in part by how our motor development is associated with the unfolding

of our genetic plan. (Gesell, pg. 84) 1 His theory explains the view on motor development

and how it is linked to our motor behaviors and how we perceive and act to things while

we are developing. I can see how this theory is applicable, from observing my own

daughter, as Ive watched her grow it has been amazing to see all the physical and mental

developing she has accomplished in the last two years. She learns new motor skills after

mastering other functions, this is done by repetition and experience. A good example of

this is watching her go from learning to just how to roll, to eventually crawling, and

ultimately walking. Most motor skills are developed in this way, after we have adapted to

our previous skills. During cognitive development is where the infant will start to grasp

and gradually learn to speak, perceive things, and develop body coordination, and

memorization. Infants will start to repeat and mimic things they see and hear. It is due to

this kind of development, that it is important for children to have positive social
interaction and explore a variety of things so that they can stimulate their cognitive

thinking.

Socioemotional development, is the development of our relationships,

personalities, and emotions. This all starts when we are infants, we begin to shape our

feelings and emotions with our families. With each interaction in our life, we create

various bonds, depending on the experience. Many things can have an impact on how we

act as a person, such as, our emotions, our upbringing, our genes, among other things that

cause us to create attachments and feelings for others and ourselves. Biological and

environmental can also influence our personality, factors such as gender, race, and

cultural aspects all have components in how we become as an individual. In my

experience with my daughter, she is an only child and often gets all the attention, due to

this, when she plays with, her two cousins, all three close in age, she has difficulty

playing nice, and sharing things. It has been troublesome trying to help them grasp the

concept of sharing, but in time, with positive encouragement, I hope she will become

better about it. Whereas the two cousins, having always had each other, and knowing they

must share their toys, are far better about doing so. This is an example of the fact they are

in different environments most of the time and not under the same roof all the time,

different environments, different habits.

I believe it is important that we learn and discover how humans develop physically

and mentally starting with infancy. Understanding intelligence, memory function,

cognitive thinking, and physical growth are all necessary for the human race and

evolution, starting from the earliest points in ones life. Knowing these beneficial factors

about human growth and development will help us in the future, with understanding
aspects such as the brain, longevity, and our physical development. Ive enjoyed learning

about human growth and how we cognitively think and learn. This course has been

beneficial and insightful for me. I now know the different stages from infancy to late

adulthood, and what our bodies go through to get us there.

Mcsorley, B. (2014, May 16). Socio-Emotional Development [photograph]. Retrieved from

https://blog.udemy.com/socioemotional-development/

Motor Milestones [photograph]. (2016). Retrieved from

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/553309504195940355/

Santrock, J. W., & Santrock, J. W. (2014). Life span development. Place of publication not

identified: Mcgraw-Hill Education.

Savedge, J. (2016). 9 Ways Babies Are Really Weird [photograph]. Retrieved from

https://www.google.com/search?q=babies&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS714US714&source=ln

ms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN3PXR6qLVAhVW6GMKHe9OD9AQ_AUIBi

gB&biw=1536&bih=759#imgrc=Ph1vxW5gdJJKKM:

Sterling, J. (2016, October 4). The Mystery of SIDS [photograph]. Retrieved from

https://jeffreysterlingmd.com/tag/sids/