KNES 370 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Primitive Reflexes, Startle Response, Infant
15 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Newborn movements have two general categories: reflexes and spontaneous. Reflexes: stereotyped movements made in response to a specific stimulus, the fetal startle response or eye shielding. Spontaneous: have no identifiable stimuli, kicking and arm bending. Three reasons they (phylogenetic movement) exist: baby needs to overcome the birth trauma, both facilitate survival, provide basis for later voluntary actions. Reflexes and spontaneous movements considered to be rudimentary patterns of movement coordination. Reflexive movements are considered indispensable in a young infants life. Reflexes are involuntary movements that an individual makes in response to a specific stimuli: require no thought, will happen automatically. Reflexes are: involuntary, coordinated muscular action, very sensitive to stimulus properties, sensitive to physical context such as posture and arousal state, coordinative structures rudimentary patterns of coordination. Reflexes open a dialogue with the environment. Infantile reflexes: reflexes that only occur during infancy. Three types of infantile reflex: primitive reflex, postural reactions, locomotor reflex.
