A.

The Birth Cry

1.Birth Cry-marks the beginning of
vocalization
2.Birth cry is physiological. It serves two
purposes:
a.To supply the blood with sufficient oxygen.
b.To inflate the lungs
3.Birth cry is not a true precursor of speech.
B.Changes and Development
During the first 24 hours after birth,the infants cry
may take on different meanings according to the
pitch, intensity and continuity of the cry
C.Stimulation of Cries
1. Stimuli which arouse the infants cries comes
from:
a. Environment
b. Physiological condition
1)Hunger
2)Pain or discomfort
3)Fatigue or lack of exercise
4)Wet diapers
5)Vomiting
D. Bodily Accompaniments of crying
1. squirms
2. Kicks
3. Flexes and extends arms,legs,fingers,and
toes
4. Rolls body and turns head from side to
side
E. Amount of Crying
How much the newborn cries is an individual
matter.
F. Explosive sounds
1. explosive sounds-are another type of
vocalization which are commonly referred to
as ‘coos’,’grunts’ and ‘gurgles’.
G. Other sounds
1. Sneezing- healthy infant sneezes
several times a day and thus clears
his nose of any foreign matter.
2. Yawning
3. Whining-to cry in or utter a high
pitch
4. Hiccupping- a sudden spasmodic
contraction of the diaphragm and
audible closing of the glottis[an
opening between the vocal cords in
the throat which controls the
modulation of speech sounds]
A. The Different Sensitivities of the Newborn Are:

1. Sight. At birth, the retina has not reached its

mature development. It is small. The cones in the
fovea are short and ill-defined. At 30 to 32 hours
after birth, the papillary reflex is well established.
OPTIC NYSTAGMUS- It is the ability to follow
moving objects and then move the eyes backward
in the opposite direction, comes several hours
after birth, It has not been experimentally proven if
infants can or cannot see colors.
2. Hearing. Scientists have no agreement as to
whether or not infants respond to sound stimuli by
auditory sensations immediately after birth. Some
infants are totally deaf for several days, due to the
stoppage of the middle ear with amniotic fluid.
3. Taste. The newborn infant as a highly developed
sense of taste. Sweet stimuli have positive
reactions in the form of sucking, but salt, sour and
bitter stimuli have negative reactions in the form of
discomfort
4. Smell- Sense of smell is well-developed at birth.
When something is brought near him, the infant
responds to it.
5. Skin Sensitivities- The skin sensations of touch,
pressure temperature and pain are present at birth.
6. Organic sensitivities. The organic sensations of
hunger and thirst are not specifically developed at
birth.
Emotions of the Newborn
Three Distinct Emotional Reactions That Occur
Shortly After Birth(According to Watson) Are:
Fear
Rage
Love
According to Bakwin, There are Two Emotional
Responses That the Newborn Is Equipped
With:
Pleasant or positive
Unpleasant or negative
Consciousness of the Newborn
It is difficult to guess from the infants behavior as to
what it goes on his mind and what he perceives during
the first days of birth
James [1890] attempted to describe the infants
consciousness and he stated ‘baby, assailed by eyes,
ears, nose, skin, and entrails all at once, feels it all as
one great, blooming, buzzing, confusion’.
Conditioning in the newborn
Conditioning- is the process where there is a transfer of
response from an original to a substitute stimulus.
In the case of feeding reactions, conditioning
can take place during infancy. In the case of other
reactions and situations, there has been no conclusive
evidence that infants can be conditioned. Whether the
emotions of the newborn can be conditioned, has not
yet been investigated.
Beginnings of Personality
Differences in Personality Are Apparent
Shortly After Birth. Differences Mey Be
Partly Due to:
Age
Circumstances of delivery
Health conditions

B. Shirley [1933] states that a ‘nucleus of

personality exists at birth and this nucleus
persists and grows and determines to a
certain degree the relative importance of
the various traits. Some change is
doubtless wrought by environmental
factors, but this change is limited by the
limitations of the original personality
nucleus’.