The organization of spontaneous arm and finger activity in human newborns.
Item
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Title
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The organization of spontaneous arm and finger activity in human newborns.
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Identifier
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AAI9969678
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identifier
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9969678
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Creator
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Bewley, Susan P.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Gerald Turkewitz
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Date
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2000
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Developmental | Health Sciences, Human Development
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Abstract
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To investigate the possibility that newborn spontaneous arm/finger activity is organized rather than random and diffuse, I videotaped 35 healthy full-term newborns (mean age, 38.1 hours) for five minutes, using two cameras located at right angles to each other, and coded all extensions and flexions of the infants' arms and fingers during that period. Based on an analysis of contingency coefficients, I found that (1) movement of the arm and movement of the fingers co-occurred at chance levels and (2) except in state 3, extension of the arm and extension of the fingers co-occurred significantly more often than would be expected by chance, as did flexion of the arm and flexion of the fingers, while arm extension/finger flexion and arm flexion/finger extension combinations occurred significantly less often. These findings indicate that organization is characteristic of newborn spontaneous arm and hand activity when state conditions allow it to emerge.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
