Mental Development in Infants

Mental development increases during infancy as motor skills, senses and muscle development work together to help babies gain awareness of the world around them.

Time Frame

• Infancy is generally defined as the period of time between birth and being able to walk, when small children are developing physically, mentally and socially. Most babies begin to walk between 10 and 14 months; once a baby starts walking, they are no longer an infant but a toddler.

Features

• Around nine months, babies begin to distinguish familiar faces and reach for familiar things; they also begin to recognize events and learn to expect them.

Functions

• During infancy, sensory development flourishes. Babies start to perceive sights and sounds, reaching and touching things with their hands and feet.

Misconceptions

• Conventional wisdom states that infants cannot distinguish what is happening around them, but even limited brain development allows babies to perceive when things are out of order, or "wrong".

Limitations

• Infants do not have the ability to multi-task; their brains can only process one thing at a time.

Conclusion

• Mental development and cognitive growth in infancy works in hand with physical development. During infancy, the senses start to mature; vision focuses, sound is used as communication, and both muscular and motor control develops.