Wk 6: Infancy Part II

How do infants process information?

they use their senses, short-term memory store, and long-term memory to learn about their environment

Working memory

• aka short-term memory

• the number of items that we can store briefly in our minds so that we can manipulate them to perform a task

What are the two theories of language development?

• Nativist Theory

• Interactionist Theory

Nativist Theory of Language Development

• proposed by Chomsky

• believes that infants have a Language Acquisition Device (LAD), meaning they have an innate ability to learn language and understand grammar

Interactionist Theory of Language Development

suggests that infants learn language through social interactions, their environment, and inner capacities

What are the first speech sounds a baby will make?

• cooing

• babbling

Communication starts before speech. Babies learn how to interact with people through ___, ___, and ___.

• joint attention

• back and forth interactions

• gestures

How should a parent support early language learning?

• respond to coos and babbles

• establish joint attention

• use infant directed speech

• play social games

What emotions might an infant experience during infancy?

stranger anxiety and separation anxiety

What are the four patterns of attachment an infant may exhibit?

• secure attachment: child demonstrates a secure base

• avoidant attachment: a child is unresponsive and slow to greet others

• ambivalent attachment: a child is clingy, distressed, and angry

• disorganized attachment: a child exhibits confused and contradictory behaviors

What are the levels of temperament?

• the innate behavioral styles of a child that influence how they interact with their environment

• these include easy (40%), slow-to-warm-up (15%), difficult (10%), and unclassified (35%)