Reflexes and Spontaneous Movements

differentiate primitive reflexes from spontaneous movements

Reflexes are responses to specific external stimuli, whereas spontaneous movements do not result from any apparent external stimuli Reflexive movements are specific and often localized, whereas spontaneous movements tend to be nonspecific and generalized The same stimulus will elicit a specific reflex over and over again (McGraw, 1943)

three main reasons why phylogenetic movements exist

baby needs to overcome the birth trauma reflexes and spontaneous movements facilitate survival both types of movements provide basis for later voluntary actions

All reflexes and spontaneous actions

basis of what we called coordinative structures

Spontaneous

behaviors that have no clearly identifiable stimuli kicking and arm bending

locomotor reflexes

considered as such because they mimic later voluntary human behaviors that result in motion through the environment

When a newborn infant grasps an object placed in her hand

does so automatically and without conscious thought

Spontaneous actions

facilitating 'exploration' of relationships between muscle activation, body motion, and sensory feedback 'motor babbling' ways to communicate the state of the neonate with his or her caretakers

baby will start sucking your finger

first times that this happen, it is an involuntary action

postural reactions

generally appear after the infant is 2 months old infant can roll over only after the derotative righting reflex appears, around 4 months of age

Reflexes are

involuntary coordinated muscular action very sensitive to stimulus properties sensitive to physical context such as posture and arousal state open a dialogue with the environment rudimentary patterns of coordination - aka "coordinative structures"

primitive reflexes

newborn infant grasps an object placed in her hand put your finger on their mouth you will perceive that the baby will start sucking your finger Lower brain centers often mediate primitive reflexes rooting, sucking, moro, and grasping

Infant Three types of Movement

primitive reflexes postural reactions locomotor reflexes

'motor babbling'

provide basis for trial-‐and-‐error learning

Newborn movements have been classified into two general categories

reflexes spontaneous movements

infantile reflexes

reflexes present only during infancy

Reflex and spontaneous motor actions are considered to be

rudimentary patterns of movement coordination ("coordinative structures") early opportunities that we have in life to integrate sensory-‐motor information form the first behaviors in our motor repertoire structure of our voluntary, coordinated, and controlled movements

three locomotor reflexes

stepping swimming crawling

Reflexes

stereotyped movements made in response to a specific stimulus fetal startle response or eye shielding considered indispensable in a young infant's life

Coordinative structure

unit of action and is the level on which a behavior is learned or developed answer to the question raised by many researchers - that is- "what exactly do we learn?" constrained behavior that is defined by synergistic action of muscles and joints that may be, but are not necessarily, physically connected to one another