Things to Know about Baby’s Senses Development
As the baby's senses develop and become more refined, mechanical abilities
gradually come under sensory control. Earlier, unconscious responses to
sensory stimulation, such as the various newborn reflexes, are referred to as
sensorimotor behavior, while actions that are controlled consciously are
referred to as psychomotor behavior.
The senses develop from those dealing with the "more yang" immediate
environment to those dealing with vibrations coming from greater distances.
The immediate environment is classified as more yang because it is more
contracted in relation to the larger, more expanded environment of the earth
and the universe. The more immediate senses-touch, taste, and smell-mature
more rapidly than do hearing and sight-the senses that deal with more yin
forms of vibration.
In the past, it was believed that a newborn's behavior was entirely reflexive
and mechanical. It was felt that the senses developed over time. However,
researchers have recently found that newborns have the capability to see,
hear, smell, and respond to touch. Infants only hours old seem to have the
ability to focus on objects that are placed in front of them. Whether a newborn
sees or hears in the same manner as an adult or an older child, however, is
still an open scientific question.
Infants can see and hear, but in a manner that is qualitatively different than
the way adults or older children do. Being small, compact, red in color, very
active, and thus very yang, infants are better able to sense general vibrations,
rather than isolating specific concrete physical objects or sounds. When a
newborn looks at his mother's face, for example, he is "seeing" her vibrational
quality and general physical characteristics and does not focus on her specific
features. As the baby becomes more yin-larger and more expanded-the ability
to focus sharply on more specific objects and sounds-that is, yang ones-
develops. It is therefore better not to force a newborn to focus on specific
objects or sounds but to let these abilities unfold naturally as the baby grows.