Comparison Between Infant and Preschool Child Development

Human Growth and Development
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Part A: Differences and Similarities between an Infant and a Preschool Child Development
The infant and the preschooler are both children but at different stages of development. According to Erikson's theory, an infant is an individual who is 18 months or younger, while a preschool child is between three and five years old (Sutton, 2021). Thus, the two stages of development have various similarities and variations. Individuals in the infant stage are completely reliant on adults for food, love, and nurturing (Oogarah-Pratap et al., 2020). It is at this stage that the child learns to either trust or mistrust, depending on how they are treated. When a child is well treated at this stage, the effects are seen throughout their whole life as they develop a healthy attitude of trust. The significant difference in personality development in infants is that during this stage, a child is unable to understand the concept of morality, but one can tell what feels right and wrong (Sutton, 2021). When a child's needs, such as a change of a diaper, are catered to, the child starts to learn what is right and what is not.
On the other hand, preschoolers have already started developing their idea of right or wrong, hence moral development. They are capable of following rules, and their ethical behavior is motivated by either a reward or the avoidance of punishment. At this stage, unlike infant children, individuals are aware of what is moral and what is not (Sutton, 2021). Khairani & Maemonah (2021) posits that, psychosocially, children at this stage experience conflict between their initiative and guilt. At this stage, children start to assert their control over the world by engaging in games. When a child succeeds in acquiring needed skills at this stage, they feel that they can lead, while those who fail to feel a sense of self-doubt and guilt (Feldman, 2016). The other difference is in social development. Preschoolers are typically in the process of learning how to interact and relate with their peers. Unlike in the infancy stage, preschoolers have started to understand who they are, hence creating personal identity. 
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2022), neuroscientists recently discovered that infants could use various unique signals to determine whether adults around them have a strong relationship and are mutually obliged to give aid to each other. For example, infants are said to presume that individuals who share saliva are obligated to come to each other's aid in times of distress. Thus, through kissing or even sharing a spoon, it is registered in the child's brain that the two individuals have strong relationships. According to anthropologists, individuals involved in this relationship are more likely to exchange various bodily fluids like saliva. Infants use this signal to determine the type of relationship adults share. Therefore, at the infant stage of development, a child can learn who to trust and who not to.
Part B: Children in Preschool, Middle Childhood, and Adolescence
At preschool, various physical change...