Detailed Study Guide on Biosocial Development and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and concepts related to biosocial development, cognitive development, and early childhood education, drawn from lecture notes on Berger's text.

Macronutrients

Nutrients required by the body in large amounts, including carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

Carbohydrates

Primary energy source for rapid early-childhood growth and high activity levels.

Fats

Necessary for myelination, brain growth, insulation, and vitamin absorption.

Proteins

Required for muscle development, tissue repair, and overall body growth.

Essential Minerals

Crucial nutrients required for various bodily functions, such as iron, zinc, and calcium.

Iron

Essential mineral that prevents anemia and supports energy.

Zinc

Essential mineral important for immune function and growth.

Calcium

Essential mineral necessary for bone development.

American Heart Association recommendation

No more than 6 teaspoons of added/natural sugars; average American intake is three times that.

Typical weight gain in early childhood

Children gain about 4.5 pounds per year from ages 2-6.

Growth in early childhood

Children grow roughly 2-3 inches per year.

Baby fat

Declines during early childhood as the body becomes slimmer and more muscular.

Injury control

Strategies to reduce the risk of harm in early childhood.

Stranger safety

Teaching boundaries and caution to prevent harm.

Fire safety

Use of smoke detectors, supervised cooking, and safety drills to prevent fires.

Poison safety

Locked cabinets and safe storage of medications and cleaners.

Drowning prevention

Constant supervision and fencing around pools to prevent drownings.

Helmet use

Recommended for safety while riding tricycles, bicycles, and scooters.

Accidents

Leading cause of early childhood death, surpassing disease.

Motor vehicle accidents

Most common cause of accidental death in early childhood.

Drowning

Second most common cause of accidental death in early childhood.

Falls

Third most common cause of accidental death in early childhood.

Poisoning

Fourth causing accidental death, emphasizing the need for poison safety measures.

Fires/burns

Fifth cause of accidental death, highlighting the importance of fire safety.

Primary prevention

Community-wide efforts to prevent injuries, such as traffic laws.

Secondary prevention

Targeted interventions for high-risk situations, like crossing guards.

Tertiary prevention

Actions taken after an injury occurs, including ER care and rehabilitation.

Child maltreatment

Intentional harm or avoidable endangerment of a minor.

Child abuse

Deliberate harm of a child, either physical, emotional, or sexual.

Child neglect

Failure to meet essential needs of a child, such as food, shelter, and safety.

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a potential long-term effect of child maltreatment.

Executive function

Cognitive processes like planning, organizing, and decision-making.

Cephalocaudal trend

Growth pattern where development occurs from the head down.

Proximodistal trend

Growth pattern where development occurs from the center of the body outward.

Gross Motor Skills

Large movements such as running, climbing, and jumping, influenced by brain maturation.

Fine Motor Skills

Small, precise movements like drawing and writing, requiring coordination.

Myelination

Process that increases the speed of neural communication and supports coordination.

Automaticity of skills

Ability to perform tasks with minimal cognitive effort through practice.

Prefrontal cortex

Part of the brain that matures between ages 2-6, improving attention and reducing impulsiveness.

Information Processing Approach

Compares the mind to a computer focusing on attention, memory, and mental strategies.

Symbolic thought

Ability to use symbols, such as words or images, to represent objects or concepts.

Egocentrism

Difficulty in seeing a situation from another person's perspective.

Centration

Focusing on one aspect of a situation while ignoring others.

Conservation

Understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The difference between what a child can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance.

Scaffolding

Temporary support provided by adults to help children achieve tasks beyond their current ability.

Theory of Mind

Understanding of what others may be thinking, typically emerging around age 4.

Fast Mapping

Quickly assigning new words to mental categories during language development.

Overregularization

Applying grammatical rules too broadly in early language use.

I-self and Me-self

Distinction between self as active agent (I-self) and self as object of evaluation (Me-self).

Gender Constancy

Realization that gender is permanent, regardless of changes in appearance or behavior.

Androgyny

Possessing both masculine and feminine characteristics, common in cultures emphasizing flexibility.

Types of Play

Including solitary, onlooker, parallel, associative, and cooperative play.