Ch 4: Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

Cephalocaudal development

Growth proceeds from the head downward

Proximodistal development

Growth proceeds from the center to outward

During the first six months of a babies life, what can they consume?

Only breastmilk or formula

What are the benefits of breast-feeding?

• reduced maternal risk for certain diseases

• Immunizing agents passed from mother to baby

What factor is associated with infant mortality?

Educational disparities

What problem can arise after growth stunting in children 1-4?

Cognitive impairment

Neurons

Specialized cells that communicate messages throughout the body

Synapse

Gaps between neuron

Myelin sheath

Fatty substance that coats, axons, and speeds remission of electrical impulses

Neurogenesis

Process in which the first neurons form in prenatal development

Myelination

Process of brain development where glial cells produce and coat the axons of neurons with a fatty substance called myelin

Glial cells

Type of brain cell that outnumbers neurons while nourishing them. It moves throughout the brain to provide its physical structure

At what period in human lives do we have the most synapses?

At one year producing 1000 trillion synapses

Synaptogenesis

Process where dendrites grow and branch out, increasing synapses with other neurons

Synaptic pruning

Process in which neural connects are gone, which improves efficiency of neural communication by removing excess connections

When is there a sensitive period in brain development, in which experience has a powerful role?

Infancy

What is an example of experience–dependent brain development?

Reading

How long does a typical neonate sleep a day?

16 to 18 hours a day

What are some early learning capacity strategies for infants?

• habitation

• Classical conditioning

• Operant conditioning

• Imitation

Habituation

When repeated exposure to a stimulus results in gradual decline in a response

Rooting reflex

A baby naturally looking for mother‘s nipple and associates surrounding senses with nipple

Explain imitation in newborns

Learned/observed behaviors from adults, which starts reflexive, but then becomes operant

Operant conditioning

Learned behaviors based on consequences

Classical Conditioning

Neutral stimulus paired with unconditioned stimulus, which illicits a conditioned response