Date of Award
2003
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Kathleen Gorman
Abstract
This study explored the relationship between the age of development of 5 locomotor behaviors, the level of infant activity for the locomotor behaviors, and the performance of the sample of infants on standardized indices of infant development (Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence, FTII; Bayley Scales of Infant Development, BSID-II). A total of 157 infants were assessed at 6, 9, and 12 months for their activity levels on the 5 locomotor behaviors of interest, and the age at which each locomotor behavior occurred was obtained through records maintained by each infants' caregiver. The results of the regression path analysis indicates that that the timing of acquisition of locomotor behaviors is reciprocally related to how active infants are, and that over time these factors contribute to how infants perform on more global measures of development. The main implications of these findings are that the rate of development of future infant locomotor behavior was influenced by how active the infant was in a current locomotor behavior. The acquisition of specific locomotor behaviors (i.e., standing unsupported and walking supported) was significantly and negatively correlated with infant performance on a Psycho motor Development Index of a standardized measure of infant development (BSID-II, Bayley, 1993).
Recommended Citation
Baird, Janette, "Longitudinal Study of the Acquisition of Locomotion, Motor Activity, and Infant Development" (2003). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 1017.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/1017
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