Certificate In Psychology (CPSY) Practice Exam

What developmental milestone typically occurs within the first few months of life?

1. Walking

2. Talking

3. Crying becoming voluntarily controlled

4. Gaining fine motor skills

The correct answer is: Crying becoming voluntarily controlled

Crying becoming voluntarily controlled is a developmental milestone that typically occurs within the first few months of life. In this period, infants start to develop a degree of control over their crying, learning to use it as a means of communication rather than simply a reflexive response. This ability to modulate crying signals an important step in emotional and communicative development, enabling infants to express their needs more effectively to caregivers. Other milestones like walking and talking emerge much later in development. For example, walking usually begins around 12 months of age, and talking starts to develop as children approach their first birthday and progresses over the next few years. Gaining fine motor skills, such as picking up small objects or using a pincer grasp, also develops after the initial few months of life, typically emerging more prominently around 6 to 12 months. Therefore, the ability to gain control over crying is distinct to the early formative months directly following birth.