Chapter 5 – The First Two Years: Biosocial Development – Flashcards
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corpus callosum
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a band of fibers that connects the left and right sides (hemispheres) of the brain
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prefrontal cortex
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critical for reflective thought, planning, and control of impulsive behavior
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After a child's second birthday, the brain grows rapidly in size only to be limited by the closing of the sutures of the skull that occurs between the ages of 6 and 8 years.
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False. After age 2, the brain grows more slowly in size.
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Faster and more efficient communication within the brain is the result of:
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Myelination causes faster and more efficient communication within the brain.
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The part of the brain that is critical for reflective thought, planning, and control of impulsive behavior is the prefrontal cortex.
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true
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When young children appear clumsy, wobbly, and slow, it is often a result of the slow maturity and development of the:
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corpus callosum
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How does myelination in the prefrontal cortex help a child prepare to go to school?
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Myelination in the prefrontal cortex development that occurs at age 3 or 4 allows for better impulse control and improvements in the ability to sustain attention, both of which are necessary for formal education to begin and succeed.
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transient exuberance
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Rapid brain growth during the first two years of life that is characterized by a great increase in the number of dendrites.
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At birth, the newborn's brain is fully developed.
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Correct! The newborn's brain is quite immature at birth, and this is reflected in a newborn's short waking periods, poor eyesight, and limited control of posture and movement.
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By age 2, transient exuberance is a main cause of increased:
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brain weight Transient exuberance is the increase of dendrites in the cortex, a process that increases brain weight.
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Myelin reduces transmission of neural signals and prevents neighboring cells from short-circuiting each other's activity.
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False. Myelin speeds up transmission of neural signals and prevents neighboring cells from short-circuiting each other's activity.
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In your own words, summarize the major brain development from birth to age two.
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The brain develops rapidly. By age two, the brain has reached 75 percent of its adult weight, and there are far more neural connections than will be present later on—leaving much room for "remolding" of the brain's neural pathways in the years to come. During this time, many areas of the brain will have matured through myelination.
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The intersection between neurons is known as a(n) _____.
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synapse
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_____ growth is the main reason brain weight increases about 300 percent from birth to age 2.
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Dendrite
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The Internet's information superhighway is not unlike the brain's neural system. Instead of computers, servers, nodes, and transmission lines, in the brain neurotransmitters carry information from the axons of sending neurons across the _____ to the dendrites of receiving neurons.
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synaptic gap
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Dr. Miller measured 1-year-old Roy's head circumference and found that it increased 25 percent since birth. He is concerned about Roy's _____.
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brain growth
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Telling a baby to stop crying is pointless because:
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the prefrontal cortex matures later in life.
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Donald loves to smell roses; he thinks they are the most beautiful flower. Which part of his brain is he using to experience the rose?
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the cortex
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It is discovered that a newborn has significantly impaired eyesight. Why would it be important to recognize and mitigate this impairment at an early age?
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Certain experience-expectant developments may suffer if the eyesight goes un-repaired.
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Melissa and Cory are expecting their new baby in two months. They are trying to decide whether the baby should sleep in their bed or in a crib. Which is a NOT a reason for practicing co-sleeping?
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increased chances of sudden infant death.
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Jeremy is trying to save money for college. He saves half of his money he earns from his part time job. He has set a goal to save enough money to pay for his dorm fees for his first year. These behaviors demonstrate that Jeremy's _____ has matured.
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prefrontal cortex
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The Internet's information superhighway is not unlike the brain's neural system. Instead of computers, servers, nodes, and transmission lines, in the brain _____ carry information from the axons of sending neurons across the synaptic gap to the dendrites of receiving neurons.
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neurotransmitters
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Jayne is a responsive parent to her full-term son. She knows when he needs to eat and be comforted. He usually:
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sleeps more than low birth-weight babies.
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Head-sparing occurs when malnourishment stops the body from growing but not the _____.
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brain
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Tamika and Tyree are trying to decide whether they should let the infant they are expecting in two months to sleep in their bed. All of the following are possible benefits of co-sleeping EXCEPT:
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reduced chances of sudden infant death
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Emily is looking forward to the prom and is helping to plan the party. She has set a limit on how much she can spend on a dress. These actions are a sign that her _____ has matured.
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prefrontal cortex
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The last part of the brain to mature is involved in:
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impulse control
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Allison and Kyle brought their week-old child home after a difficult birth. The couple feels they cannot be separated from their baby at night, and allows the baby to share their bed. This practice is called _____.
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co-sleeping
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Sarah now weighs 28 pounds. She is MOST likely about :
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2 years old
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Which is NOT an experience-dependent event?
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communication
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The development of language skills is a(n) _____ brain function.
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experience-expectant
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The loss of unused dendritic connectivity improves the complexity of _____ links.
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synaptic
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At 2 years old, Maude is 2' 8" tall. Her height will likely be about _____ when she reaches adulthood.
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5' 4"
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Part of normal brain development includes the loss of unused dendritic connectivity. This loss, however, is not a degradation of brain power, because with it comes a corresponding improvement in the:
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complexity of synaptic linkages
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Jason and Pierre have grown up together in Paris, France. Jason speaks French and English at home while Pierre's sole language is French. Their language skills are an example of _____ brain function.
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experience-dependent
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The last part of the brain to mature is involved in:
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planning
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Thomas and Richard are both English speaking men, but are from geographically distant regions. Thomas was brought up in Brisbane, Australia, and Richard in Indianapolis, Indiana. They both speak the same language, but differ extensively in their accent, vocabulary, and inflection. Despite their cultural differences they both developed language skills because language is _____.
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experience-expectant
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Ramon and Eric have grown up together in Texas. Ramon speaks Spanish and English at home, while Eric's sole language is English. Their language skills are an example of a(n) _____ brain function.
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experience-dependent
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On the first day of life, newborns are sensitive to:
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changes in temperature. touch. movements of their own body.
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What usually happens when a newborn smells vinegar, rotten eggs, or ammonia?
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She scrunches up her nose.
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When a young infant hears the same sound over and over, such as "ba-ba-ba-," what will happen?
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The baby habituates.
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Which of the following statements about the neonate's ability to see at birth is FALSE?
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The neonate has good color vision.
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Which of the following is the least developed sense in a newborn?
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vision
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At birth:
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all the senses are functional.
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Fifty percent of all babies master sitting unsupported by _____ months.
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6
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Perception refers to the mental processing of sensory information when the brain interprets a(n):
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sensation
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Some of the latest walkers in the world are in:
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France
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According to the text, _____ is a necessity when an infant moves from sensation to perception.
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repetition
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Most babies can sit without support by the _____ month.
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sixth
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Sensation is to perception as:
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detecting a stimulus is to making sense of a stimulus.
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Which does NOT account for differences in the acquisition of motor skills?
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language
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According to the text, infant sensory and perceptual abilities appear to be especially organized for:
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social interaction
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Ninety percent of all babies master walking by _____ months.
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15
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One of the important skills tested in the Neonatal Assessment Scale is the ability to be comforted by _____
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touch
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Newborns have a strong _____ grasp, but lack hand and finger control.
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reflexive
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One-day-old Jenny is to have a blood test which will involve a needle prick to her heel. The doctor drops a substance in her mouth before he performs the procedure which seems to prevent a painful response. The substance given to Jenny was likely _____.
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sugar
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When 3-week-old Vanessa begins to cry, her father has learned to pick her up and nuzzle her to his chest. Vanessa is comforted not just by the contact with her father, but also by the _____ of her father.
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smell
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Kenia has just advanced from touching the rattle hung above her as she lies on the floor to grabbing and holding it. She is MOST likely about _____ months old.
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6
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Gross motor skill is to crawling, as fine motor skill is to _____.
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grabbing
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Adam, who is a few weeks old, learned to distinguish patterns of sounds and syllables after:
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recognizing the rhythm of spoken words.
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Three-month-old Marisa demonstrates the ability to focus on a toy and her father's face with both eyes. Marisa is demonstrating:
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binocular vision.
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Alice lives in a house with cold, rough floors. She went from scooting to standing without crawling. An explanation for this leap may be that crawling is _____ and not necessary for normal development.
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experience-dependent
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Two-month-old Maggie smiles indiscriminatingly at everyone whom she comes into contact with; she also tries to put everything in her mouth. She is not more selective because:
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sensation precedes perception
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Which BEST explains the inability of a 3-month-old to successfully reach out to grab and hold an object?
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a lack of coordination
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Another word for immunization is:
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vaccination
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Colostrum is:
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a thick, high-calorie fluid secreted by the woman's breasts for about the first three days following the birth of her child.
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Even in the poorest nations, where a few decades ago infant mortality was accepted as part of the human experience, now about 93 percent live to age 15. This may be explained by:
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public health improvements.
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In the United States in 2010, about _____ percent of infants are breast-fed at birth.
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77
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Vaccines protect against disease by injecting a small dose of inactive virus, which stimulates the same _____.
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antibodies
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Laurie, who just gave birth to a new daughter, has a concern about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Laurie's doctor is likely to tell her that she should have the baby sleep on her _____.
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