Infancy

Lifespan Development

The study of how humans grow and change from conception to death.

Physical Growth in Infants

Includes changes in weight, length, and proportions as infants develop.

Failure to thrive

A condition where a child falls below the 20th percentile for weight, indicating potential health issues.

Cephalocaudal principle

The growth and development pattern that occurs from the head down to the rest of the body.

Proximodistal principle

The developmental principle where growth occurs from the center of the body outward.

Transient exuberance

The rapid growth of dendritic connections in the brain during the first two years of life.

Myelination

The process of forming a myelin sheath around neurons, improving the speed of neural transmissions.

Pruning

The process of eliminating unused neural connections in the brain to strengthen more frequently used connections.

Gross Motor Skills

Involve large muscle groups for movements such as crawling and walking.

Fine Motor Skills

Involve small, coordinated movements, such as pinching and grasping.

SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the sudden and unexplained death of an infant, often during sleep.

Colostrum

A nutrient-dense fluid produced by mothers during the first days after childbirth, essential for newborn health.

Kwashiorkor

A severe form of malnutrition caused by lack of sufficient protein, often referred to as 'displaced child's disease'.

Marasmus

A type of malnutrition resulting from insufficient caloric intake, leading to starvation.

Holophrastic speech

A stage of language development where single words convey whole thoughts.

Nativism

Noam Chomsky's theory that humans are born with an innate ability to learn language.

Behaviorism

B.F. Skinner's theory that language learning occurs through reinforcement and conditioning.

Secure attachment

A healthy attachment style where the child feels safe and is able to explore their environment.

Insecure-avoidant attachment

An attachment style where the child avoids or ignores the caregiver, treating them as a stranger.

Insecure-resistant attachment

An attachment style characterized by clinginess and resistance to comforting upon the caregiver's return.

Disorganized attachment

The least secure attachment style marked by inconsistent and contradictory behavior in children.

Temperament

The innate traits that influence how one thinks, behaves, and reacts with the environment.

Goodness-of-fit model

The theory that a child's adjustment is influenced by how well their temperament aligns with their environment.

Trust vs. mistrust

Erikson's first stage of psychosocial development, emphasizing the importance of trust in infancy.

Autonomy vs. shame and doubt

Erikson's second stage of psychosocial development, focusing on independence and self-control.

Separation anxiety

A child's distress when separated from their primary caregiver, typically peaking around 8-10 months.

Object permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, developing around 12-24 months.

Cognitive Development

The progression of thinking and understanding as children grow, particularly in infancy and toddlerhood.

Motor Development

The progression of physical skills, including both gross and fine motor abilities.

Language Development

The process through which children acquire the ability to communicate and understand language.

Schemas

Mental representations or frameworks that help individuals organize and interpret information.