PSYC vocab

cephalocaudal pattern

The sequence in which the earliest growth always occurs at the top-the head-with physical growth and feature differentiation gradually working from top to bottom

proximodistal pattern

The sequence in which growth starts at the center of the body and moves toward the exremities

forebrain

The region of the brain that is farthest from the spinal cord and includes the cerebral cortex and several structures beneath it.

cerebal cortex

Tissue that covers the forebrain like a wrinkled cap and includes two halves, or hemispheres

lateralization

Specialization of function in one hemisphere of the cerebral cortex or the other.

neuroconstructivist view

in this view, biological processes and environmental conditions influence the brain’s development; the brain has plasticity and is context dependent; the brain development is closely linked with cognitive development

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

A condition that occurs when an infant stops breathing, usually during the night, and suddenly dies without an apparent cause

marasmus

A wasting away of body tissues in the infant’s first year, caused by severe protein-calorie deficiency

Kwashiorkor

A condition caused by a severe deficiency in protein in which the child’s abdomen and feet become swollen with water; usually appears between 1 and 3 years of age

dynamic system theory

the perspective on motor development that seeks the explain how motor skills are assembled for perceiving and acting

refelxes

built-in reactions to stimuli that govern the newborns movements, which are automatic and beyond the newborns control

rooting reflex

a newborn’s built in a reaction that occurs when the infant’s cheek is stroked or the side of the mouth is touched. in response, that infant turns its head toward the side that was touched in an apparent effort to find something to suck

sucking reflex

a newborns built in reaction to automaticaly suck an object places in the mouth. The sucking reflex enables the infant to get nourishment before he or she has associated a nipple with food and also serves as a self-soothing mechanism

moro refelx

a newborns startle response that occurs in reaction to a sudden, intense noise or movement. When startled, newborns arch their back, throw their heads back, and fling out their arms and legs. Then they rapidly close their arms and legs, bringing them close to the center of the body.

grasping reflex

a newborns built-in reaction that occurs when something touches the infant’s palms. The infant responds by grasping tightly.

gross motor skills

motor skills that involve large-muscle activities, such as walking

fine motor skills

motor skills that involve finely tuned movements, such as finger dexterity

sensation

the product of the interaction between information and the sensory receptors - the eyes, ears, tongue, nostrils, and the skin

perception

the interpretation of what is sensed

ecological view

the view that perception functions to bring organisms in contact with the environment and to increase adaptation

affordances

opportunities for interaction offered by objects that fit within our capabilities to perform functional activities

visual preference method

a method used to determine whether infants can distinguish one stimulus from another by measuring the length of time they attend to different stimuli

habituation

decreased responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated presentations of the stimulus

dishabituation

recovery of a habituated response after a change in stimulation

size constancy

the recognition that an object remains the same even though the retinal image of the object changes as you move toward or away from the object

shape constancy

the recognition that an object’s shape remains the same even though its orientation to us changes

intermodal perception

the ability to relate and integrate information from two or more sensory modalities, such as vision and hearing

schemes

in piaget’s theory, actions or mental representations that organize knowledge

assimilation

Piagetian concept involving incorporation of new information into existing schemes

organization

Piaget’s concept of grouping isolated behaviors and thoughts into a higher order system, a more smoothly functioning cognitive system

equilibration

a mechanism that Piaget proposed to explain how children shift from one stage of thought to the next

sensorimotor stage

The first of Piaget’s stages, which lasts from birth to about 2 years of age, in which infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with motoric actions

simple reflexes

Piaget’s first sensorimotor substage, corresponds to the first month after birth. In this substage, sensations and action are coordinated primarily though reflexive behavior

first habits and primary circular reactions

Piaget’s second sensorimotor substage, which develops between 1 and 4 months of age. In this substage, the infant coordinates sensation and two types of schemes: habits and primary circular reactions

primary circular reaction

a scheme based on the attempt to reproduce an event that initially occurred by chance

secondary circular reactions

Piagets third sensorimotor substage, which develops between 4 and 8 months of age. In this substage, the infant becomes more object-oriented, moving beyond preoccupation with the self

coordination of secondary circular reactions

Piaget’s fourth sensorimotor substage, which develops between 8 and 12 months of age. Actions become more outwardly directed, and infants coordinate schemes and act with intentionality

tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity

Piaget’s fifth sensorimotor substage, which develops between 12 and 18 months of age. In this substage, infants become intrigued by the many things that they can make happen to objects

internalization of schemes

Piaget’s sixth and final subsorimotor substage, which develops between 18 and 24 months of age, in this substage the infant develops the ability to use primitive symbols

object permanence

Piagetian term for understanding that objects continue to exist, even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched

A-not-B error

This occurs when infants make the mistake of selecting the familiar hiding place (A) rather the new hiding place (B) of an object as they progress into substage 4 in piagets sensorimotor stage

core knowledge approach

view that infants are born with domain-specific innate knowledge systems

attentino

the focusing of mental resources on select information

joint attention

occurs when individuals focus on the same object or event and are able to track each other’s behavior; one individual directs anohter’s attention, and reciprocal interaction is present

memory

a central feature of cognitive development, involving the retention of information over time.

implicit memory

Memory without conscious recollection; involves skills and routine procedures that are automatically performed

explicit memory

conscious memory of facts and experiences

deferred imitation

limitation that occurs after a delay of hours or days

concepts

cognitive groupings of similar objects, events, people, or ideas

developmental quotient (DQ)

an overall score that combines subscores in motor, language, adaptive, and personal-social domains in the Gesell assessment of infants

Bayley Scales of Infant Developmet

Scales developed by Nancy Bayley that are widely used in assessing infant development. The current versino, the Bayley Scales of infant and Toddler Development - fourth edition has five components; a cognitive scale; a alngauge scale; a motor scale; a socio-emotional scale; and an adaptive scale

language

a form of communication, whether spoke, written, or signed, that is based on a system of symbols

infinite generativity

the ability to produce an endless number of meaningful sentences using a finite set of words and rules

phonology

the sound system of the language, including the sounds that are used and how they may be combined

morphology

unites of meaning involved in word formation

syntax

the ways words are combines to form acceptable phrases and sentences

semantics

the meaning of words and sentences

pragmatics

the appropriate use of language in different contexts

telegraphic speech

the use of content words without grammatical markers such as articles, auxiliary verbs, and other connectives

broca’s area

an area in the brain’s left frontal lobe that is involved in speech production

wernicke’s are

an area of the brain’s left hemisphere that is involved in language comprehension

aphasia

a loss or impairment of langauge processing caused by brain damage in Broca’s area or wernicke’s area

language acquisition service (LAD)

Chomsky’s term describes a biological endowment that enables the child to detect the features and rules of language, including phonology, syntax, and semantics

child-directed speech

language spoken in a higher pitch than normal, with simple words and sentence

emotion

feeling, or affect, that occurs when a person is in a state or interaction that is important to him or her. Emotion can be characterized as positive (enthusiasm, joy, love, for example) or negative (anxiety, guilt, or sadness, for example)

primary emotions

emotions that are present in humans and other animals, and emerge early in life; examples are joy, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust

self-conscious emotions

emotions that require self-awareness, especially consciousness and a sense of “me”, examples include jealousy, empathy, and embarrassment

basic cry

a rhythmic pattern usually consisting of a cry, a briefer silence, a shorter inspiratory whistle that is higher pitched than the main cry, and then a brief rest before the next cry

anger cry

a cry similar to the basic cry, with more excess air forced through the vocal cords

pain cry

a sudden appearance of a long. initial loud cry without preliminary moaning, followed by breath holding

reflexive smile

a smile that does not occur in response to external stimuli. it happens during the month after birth, usually during sleep

social smile

a smile in response to an external stimulus, which, early in development, typically is a face

stranger anxiety

an infant’s fear and wariness of stranger; it tends to appear in the second half of the first year of life

separation protest

an infant’s distressed reaction when the caregiver leaves

temperament

an individual’s behavior style and characteristic way of emotionally responding

east child

a child who is generally in a positive mood, who quickly establishes regular routines in infancy, and who adapts easily to new experiences

difficult child

a child who tends to react negatively and cry frequently, who engages in irregular daily routines, and who is slow to accept new experinces

slow-to-warm-up child

a child who has a low activity level, is somewhat negative, and displays a low intensity of mood

goodness of fit

refers to the match between a child’s temperament and the environmental demands which which the child must cope

social referencing

“reading” emotional cues in others to help determine how to act in a particular situation

attachment

a close emotional bond between two people

strange situation

an observational measure of infant attachment that requires the infant to move through a series of introductions, separations, and reunions with the caregiver and an adult stranger in a prescribed order

securely attached babies

babies that use the caregiver as a secure base from which to explore their environment

insecure avoidant babies

babies that show insecurity by avoiding the caregiver

insecure resistant babies

babies that often cling to the caregiver, then resist her by fighting against the closeness, perhaps by kicking or pushing away.

insecure disorganized babies

babies that show insecurity by being disorganized and disoriented

developmental cascade model

involves connections across domains over time that influence development pathways and outcomes

reciprocal socialization

socialization that is bidirectional; children socialize parents, just as parents socialize children

scaffolding

adjusting the level of guidance to fir the child’s performance

growth hormone deficiency

the absence or deficiency of growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland to stimulate the body to grow

myelination

the process in which the nerve cells are covered and insulated with a layer of fat cells, which increases the speed at which information travels though the nervous system

Denver development screening test II

a test used to diagnose developmental delay in children from birth to 6 years of age; includes separate assessments of gross and fine motor skills, language, and personal-social ability

placement stage

kellogg’s term for 2 to 3 years old drawings that are drawn on a page in placement patterns

shape stage

kellogg’s term for 3 year olds drawings consisting of diagrams in different shapes

design stage

Kellogg’s term for 3 to 4 year olds drawings that mix two basic shapes into more complex designs

pictorial stage

kellogg’s term for 4 to 5 year old’s drawing depicting objects that adults can recognize

nightmares

frightening dreams that awaken the sleeper

night terrors

incidents characterized by sudden arousal form sleep, intense fear, and usually physiological reactions such as rapid heart rate and breathing, loud screams, heavy perspiration and physical movement

somnambulism

sleepwalking; occurs in the deepest stage of sleep

sleep talker

a child speaking with clear or unclear words and statements while asleep