Question

In the newborn infant, the sense of ______ is almost fully developed, but the sense of ______ continues to change and improve over the first few years of life. a. taste; hearing b. vision; taste c. vision; hearing d. hearing; vision

Short answer

The correct answer is d. hearing; vision.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding Infant Development

Newborn infants have different developmental trajectories for their senses. Some senses are almost fully developed at birth, while others continue to mature over time. It's important to identify which senses belong to each category to answer the question correctly.

Identifying Fully Developed Senses at Birth

At birth, newborns exhibit a high sensitivity to certain stimuli, indicating that some senses are almost fully developed. Specifically, the sense of hearing is notably well-developed in newborns, allowing them to recognize their mother's voice and other familiar sounds.

Identifying Senses that Develop Over Time

Certain senses in infants continue to mature and improve throughout the early years of life. Vision is one such sense. Initially, newborns have limited vision, but their eyesight gradually improves as they grow, allowing them to see clearer and at longer distances over time.

Selecting the Correct Answer

Based on the previous steps, recognize that the sense of hearing is almost fully developed in newborns, while vision continues to improve over the first few years of life. This matches with option (d): hearing; vision.

Key concepts

newborn hearing development

Newborns experience a rapid progression in hearing development, which is crucial for bonding and language learning. At birth, infants already demonstrate a heightened sense of hearing, allowing them to detect and respond to the sounds of their environment. This capability is innate, enabling babies to turn their heads toward a sound or become soothed by familiar voices.
Parents will notice their newborns react particularly to high-pitched sounds, including voices, which can often capture their attention more effectively. This is because newborns have a natural preference for specific sound frequencies.

• Responsiveness to diverse sound ranges.
• Ability to recognize and be calmed by familiar noises.
• Progressive adjustment to complex sound environments.

The early establishment of an infant's auditory skills lays the foundation for language development and social interactions later in life. Therefore, encouraging simple sound-based interactions, such as talking, singing, and playing soft music, can significantly benefit a baby's auditory developmental process.

newborn vision development

Newborn vision development is a fascinating yet gradual process. At birth, an infant's vision is not fully refined and starts with limited clarity. Newborns see the world primarily in shades of black, white, and gray, and can clearly focus on objects situated roughly 8 to 12 inches away, which is just enough to see their mother's face while nursing.
As infants grow, their visual field and color perception start to mature. This transformation clocks in significant improvement typically by the age of two to three months, where babies begin to notice colorful objects and patterns.

• Initial focus on high-contrast and close-range visuals.
• Gradual development of color and depth perception.
• Improvement in tracking moving objects.

Exploring a visually stimulating environment can help in sharpening an infant's vision. Parents can utilize brightly colored toys and books with bold patterns to foster visual progression, which is a crucial part of intellectual development.

sensory maturation in infants

Sensory maturation in infants encompasses a wide range of developmental changes that take place as a child grows. These changes help them gradually understand and interact with the world around them. Each sensory system progresses through distinct phases of development, bringing them together to support more complex activities such as walking, talking, and playing.
Sensory systems include sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, all of which mature at different rates and times. For example, while hearing is nearly complete at birth, vision develops progressively over the months and even years. Other senses, such as touch, provide comfort and promote bonding with caregivers, while taste and smell are influenced by early feeding experiences.

• Synchronization of various sensory systems.
• Contribution of sensory experiences to cognitive and emotional growth.
• Diverse rates of maturation depending on the type of sensory input.

As infants navigate their early years, the harmonization of these sensory systems supports overall development, highlighting the importance of providing multisensory experiences to stimulate growth in all areas.