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cerebral cortex

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the outer folded mantle of the brain, responsible for thinking, reasoning, perceiving, and all conscious responses

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Axons

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fibers that conduct impulses away from the cell body

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Dendrites

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a branching fiber that receives information and conducts impulses toward the cell body of a neuron

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Synapses

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the gap between the dendrites of one neuron and the axon of another, over which impulses flow

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Synaptogenesis

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forming of connections between neurons at the synapses. This process, responsible for all perceptions, actions, and thoughts, is the most intense during infancy and childhood but continues throughout life

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Myelination

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formation of a fatty layer encasing the axons of neurons. This process, which speeds the transmission of neural impulses, continues from birth to early adulthood

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plastic

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malleable, or capable of being changed (used to refer to neural or cognitive development)

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Infancy

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time of most brain growth, 25% to 75%

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fMRI

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measures the brain's energy consumption

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Basic brain principles

answer

1. Development unfolds "in its own specific neurological time"(you can't teach a baby to do something before the relevant part of the brain comes on-line) 2. Stimulation sculpts neurons (our wider-world experiences actually physically change our brain) 3. The brain is still "under construction" (and shaped by those same wider-world experiences) for as long as we live

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Sucking reflex

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the automatic, spontaneous sucking movements newborns produce, especially when anything touches their lips

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Rooting reflex

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newborns' automatic response to a touch on the cheek, involving turning toward that location and beginning to suck

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Reflex

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a response or action that is automatic and programmed by non cortical brain centers

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Grasping reflex

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newborns automatically vigorously grasp anything that touches the palm of their hand

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Two years old

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age where 'picky eating' is normal

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Undernutrition

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a chronic lack of adequate food

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Stunting

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excessively short stature in a child, caused by chronic lack of adequate nutrition

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Micronutrient deficiency

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chronically inadequate level of a specific nutrient important to development and disease prevention, such as Vitamin A, zinc, and/or iron

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Breast milk

answer

best food for infants

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Food Stamp Program (SNAP)

answer

provides money to poverish families to buy food

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WIC (Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children)

answer

package of supplements and support for pregnant women and moms with young children (under 5)

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CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program)

answer

reinburses child care providers, and cost of high quality meals

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Colic

answer

a baby's frantic, continual crying during the first three months of life; caused by an immature nervous system, not bad parenting

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Swaddling

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wrapping a baby tightly in a blanket or garment. This technique is calming during early infancy

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4s

answer

Swinging, SHHHing, Swaddling, and Sucking

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Kangaroo Care

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Carrying a young baby in a sling close to the body. Soothes infants

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REM sleep

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the phase of sleep involving rapid eye movements, when the EEG looks almost like it does during walking. REM sleep decreases as infants mature

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Self-soothing

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children's ability, usually beginning at 6 months of age, to put themselves back to sleep when they wake up during the night

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Co-Sleeping Stereotypes

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1. makes a child less independent and mature 2. disrupts parents' and children's sleep 3. dangerous because it can cause a baby to be smothered

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Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

answer

the unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant, often while sleeping, during the first year of life

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Preferential-looking paradigm

answer

a research technique to explore early infant sensory capacities and cognition, drawing on the principle that we are attracted to novelty and prefer to look at new things

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Habituation

answer

the predictable loss of interest that develops once a stimulus becomes familiar; used to explore infant sensory capacities and thinking

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Face perception

answer

research using preferential looking and habituation to explore what very young babies know about faces

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Depth perception

answer

the ability to see (and fear) heights

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Visual cliff

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a table that appears to "end"in a drop-off at its midpoint; used to test for infant depth perception

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Cephalocaudal sequence

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development proceeds from HEAD to FEET

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Motor milestones

answer

the exciting progression of physical abilities during the first year of life

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Baby-proof

answer

making the home safe for a newly mobile infant

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Sensorimotor stage

answer

Piaget;s first stage of cognitive development, lasting from birth to age 2, when babies' agenda is to pin down the basics of physical reality

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Circular reactions

answer

in Piaget's framework, repetitive action-oriented schemas (or habits) characteristic of babies during the sensorimotor stage

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Primary circular reactions

answer

in Piaget's framework, the first infant habits during the sesnorimotor stage, centered on the body

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Secondary circular reactions

answer

in Piaget's framework, habits of the sesnorimotor stage lasting from about 4 months of age to the baby's first birthday, centered on exploring the external world

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Tertiary circular reactions

answer

in Piaget's framework, "little scientist" activities of the sensorimotor stage, beginning around age 1, involving flexibly exploring the properties of objects

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Little-scientist phase

answer

the time around age 1 when babies "get into everything" to actively explore the properties of objects, experimenting like a little scientist

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Means-end behavior

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in Piaget's framework, performing a different action to get to a goal-an ability that emerges in the sensorimotor stage as babies approach age 1

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Object permanence

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in Piaget's framework, the understanding that objects continue to exist even when we can no longer see them, which gradually emerges during the sensorimotor stage

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A-not-B error

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in Piaget's framework, a classic mistake made by infants in the sensorimotor stage, whereby babies approaching age 1 go back to the original hiding place to look for an object even though they have seen it get hidden in a second place

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Criticisms against Piaget

answer

Infants grasp the basics of physical reality at a younger age than he believed Infants' understanding of physical reality emerges gradually, not in big hunks

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Social cognition

answer

any skill related to understanding feelings and negotiating interpersonal interactions

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Joint attention

answer

the first sign of "getting human intentions," when a baby looks at an object an adult is pointing to or follows a person's gaze.

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Grammar

answer

the rules and word-arranging systems that everyhuman language employs to communicate meaning

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language acquisition device (LAD)

answer

Chomsky's term for a hypothetical brain structure that enables our species to learn and produce language

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Social-interactionist view

answer

an approach to language development that emphasizes its social function, specifically that babies and adults have a mutual passion to communicate

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Babbling

answer

the alternating vowel and consonant sounds that babies repeat with variations of intonation and pitch, preceding words

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Holophrase

answer

first clear evidence of language, when babies use a single word to communicate a sentence or complete thought

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Telegraphic speech

answer

first stage of combining words in infancy, in which a baby pares down a sentence to its essential words

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Infant-directed speech (IDS)

answer

baby talk

question

babinski reflex

answer

reflex in which babies will fan out their toes when you touch the sole of their feet

question

deferred imitation

answer

Repeating an action that was witnessed at an earlier time

question

The brain: a) takes more than two decades to fully mature. b) grows to full maturity during the first 10 years of life. c) completes its growth at two years of age. d) does not grow outside of the womb.

answer

a) takes more than two decades to fully mature.

question

Why might toddlers suddenly start to avoid unfamiliar foods? a) They are in the terrible twos. b) It is a protective mechanism to keep them from being poisoned when they start running into the world. c) They simply hate change. d) They have a lower appetite.

answer

b) It is a protective mechanism to keep them from being poisoned when they start running into the world.

question

Why do many women stop breast-feeding before their babies are six months of age? a) They don't like the way it feels. b) They prefer to buy formula. c) They need to go back to work. d) They don't believe that breast feeding has any value.

answer

c) They need to go back to work.

question

Children who are excessively short, due to a chronic lack of adequate nutrition suffer from a state called: a) stuttering. b) stunting. c) formula-fed deficiency. d) anemia.

answer

b) stunting.

question

Sensory capabilities of young infants are measured using the ______ paradigm. a) face-perception b) size-constancy c) habituation d) preferential-looking

answer

d) preferential-looking

question

According to research, newborns spend more time: a) looking at patterns. b) looking at squares. c) looking at strange objects. d) looking at their mother's face and the faces of attractive people.

answer

d) looking at their mother's face and the faces of attractive people.

question

All are true about crawling EXCEPT: a) early crawlers get more upset when a parent leaves the room. b) when babies start crawling, parents begin to see them as more independent. c) early crawlers become less sensitive to a caregiver's facial expressions. d) parents become more discipline-focused once their babies begin to crawl.

answer

c) early crawlers become less sensitive to a caregiver's facial expressions.

question

During Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development children from: a) ages 0-2 pin down the basics of physical reality through their senses. b) ages 0-2 pin down the basics of emotional reality. c) ages 2-4 pin down the basics of physical reality through their senses. d) ages 2-4 pin down the basics of emotional reality.

answer

a) ages 0-2 pin down the basics of physical reality through their senses.

question

In Piaget's theory, habits—or repetitive actions such as thumb sucking, which center around the child's body, are called: a) primary circular reactions. b) secondary circular reactions. c) tertiary circular reactions. d) superego behavior.

answer

a) primary circular reactions.

question

When a one-year-old child engages in "little scientist" behaviors or enters the famous "getting into everything stage," he is engaging in Piaget's ______ reactions. a) primary circular b) secondary circular c) tertiary circular d) preoperational

answer

c) tertiary circular

question

Five-month-old Theresa is now engaging in what Piaget calls secondary circular reactions. Theresa is most likely: a) batting at her mobile, rather than just watching it. b) flushing her toys down the toilet. c) throwing her bottle off the highchair in various directions. d) sucking her toes.

answer

a) batting at her mobile, rather than just watching it.

question

12. The capacity to engage in deferred imitation reflects a child's ______ capacities. a) verbal b) memory c) emotional d) social

answer

b) memory

question

The developmental science term referring to the skills involved in managing and decoding our own and other people's emotions and getting along with other human beings is: a) latent learning. b) deferred imitation. c) social cognition. d) means-end behavior.

answer

c) social cognition.

question

Six-month old baby Grace's father is delighted when he comes into her room one morning and she declares, "da da da." This alternation of consonant and vowel sounds is called: a) cooing. b) babbling. c) telegraphy. d) holophrases.

answer

b) babbling

question

The reason why a baby's brain is especially plastic (or changeable) is: a) excessive myelination, or a fatty cover that is too thick. b) excessive frontal lobes. c) excessive synaptogenesis, permitting the surplus to be used in other regions. d) excessive numbers of new neurons being formed.

answer

c) excessive synaptogenesis, permitting the surplus to be used in other regions.

question

One-week-old Gabrielle turns toward her mother every time she touches the baby's cheek. Gabrielle is showing the ______ reflex. a) rooting b) sucking c) Babinski d) grasping

answer

b) goes away after the first three months.

question

Co-sleeping—or having a baby in your bed: a) makes children less independent and mature. b) may increase the likelihood of SIDS. c) disrupts parents' sleep. d) makes children less self-reliant.

answer

b) may increase the likelihood of SIDS

question

Preferential looking studies show that newborns have all of the following visual preferences EXCEPT: a) they prefer to look at fathers over mothers. b) they prefer to look at attractive people. c) they prefer to look at face patterns rather than scrambled patterns. d) they prefer to look at faces where the "eyes" are gazing directly at them.

answer

a) they prefer to look at fathers over mothers.

question

The research strategy used to demonstrate infant depth perception is called: a) preferential-looking. b) the visual cliff. c) habituation. d) the looking glass.

answer

b) the visual cliff.

question

Baby Henry's mother has given him a cup of juice with a straw from which to drink. He becomes frustrated when the juice is not coming through the straw, so he removes it in order to suck juice directly from the cup. In Piaget's framework, Henry is showing: a) A-not-B error. b) means-end behavior. c) object permanence. d) deferred imitation.

answer

b) means-end behavior.

question

You put baby Clara's favorite stuffed animal under a blanket, and she looks under the cover to find it. Clara is showing she has the beginnings of: a) deferred imitation. b) object permanence. c) A-not-B behavior. d) symbolization.

answer

b) object permanence.

question

Chomsky believed that language is biologically built in to being human. His term for the hypothetical brain structure that allows only our species to learn language is: a) the programmed acquisition device. b) the biological communication device. c) the information processing device. d) the language acquisition device.

answer

d) the language acquisition device.

question

Baby Marcey recently surprised her mother by saying, "me milk" when asking for milk. Her mother, knowing something about language milestones at around age 18 months, recognizes that her daughter has just exhibited ______ speech. a) holophrasic b) telegraphic c) babbling d) grammatically correct

answer

b) telegraphic

question

Why do mothers and fathers use infant-directed speech with their babies? a) Parents are lazy. b) Babies perk up when spoken to like this (and it helps them learn language). c) Parents are immature. d) Parents are trying too hard to bond with their children.

answer

b) Babies perk up when spoken to like this (and it helps them learn language).

Experiencing the Lifespan – 3rd Edition Chapter 3 – Flashcards

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