Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

These flashcards cover key concepts related to physical, brain, and motor development in infancy and toddlerhood, as well as learning capacities and perceptual growth.

What is the weight growth pattern in infants during the first two years?

Birth weight doubles by 5 months, triples by 1 year, and quadruples by 2 years.

What are the main trends of body growth during infancy?

Cephalocaudal trend (head to tail) and proximodistal trend (center outwards).

What is the best estimate of a child's physical maturity?

Skeletal age, which measures bone development.

What happens in the brain during the formation of synapses?

As synapses form, programmed cell death occurs, making space for connective structures.

What is the role of glial cells in brain development?

Glial cells make up half of the brain's volume and are responsible for myelination.

What does an Electroencephalogram (EEG) measure?

EEG detects changes in electrical activity in the cerebral cortex.

What is lateralization in the context of brain development?

Lateralization refers to the specialization of functions in the left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex.

How does chronic stress from early deprivation affect the brain?

It disrupts the brain's capacity to manage stress and response to pleasurable social experiences.

What is experience-expectant brain growth?

Brain growth that depends on ordinary experiences like exploration and interaction.

What is catch-up growth?

Physical growth that is delayed by temporary negative environmental factors, returning to a genetically determined path once conditions improve.

What is the significance of breastfeeding for infants?

Breastfeeding offers nutritional and health advantages, reducing the likelihood of malnutrition.

What are the effects of malnutrition on infants and young children?

Malnutrition contributes to half of infant and early childhood deaths and can cause growth stunting.

What is the definition of operant conditioning?

A learning process where infants act on the environment, and stimuli that follow their behavior change the probability of that behavior occurring again.

What is the difference between gross-motor and fine-motor development?

Gross-motor development involves control over larger movements, while fine-motor development involves smaller movements like grasping.

What is the role of cultural variations in infant-rearing customs?

They influence the development of motor skills in infants.

How do infants perceive sounds based on developmental milestones?

By 6-7 months, infants can distinguish musical tunes and by around 5 months, they become sensitive to syllable stress patterns.

What is perceptual narrowing?

A process where perceptual sensitivity becomes increasingly attuned to familiar information.

What is intermodal perception?

The ability to combine information from more than one sensory system into an integrated whole.