Unit 3 (Prenatal Influences+Infancy+Cognitive Development+Language)

Infantile Amnesia

The inability to recall memories from early childhood, typically from before the age of 3 or 4. This phenomenon is thought to result from the brain's development and the immaturity of the hippocampus, which is responsible for storing memories.

Rooting Reflex

A reflex in infants where they turn their head and open their mouth in response to a touch on their cheek or mouth. This reflex helps babies find their mother's breast for feeding.

Zygote

The fertilized egg formed when a sperm cell from the father merges with an egg cell from the mother. This single cell contains all the genetic information necessary for the development of a new individual.

Teratogen

Any environmental factor or substance, such as drugs, alcohol, or infections, that can cause harm or birth defects to a developing fetus during pregnancy. Teratogens can affect fetal development in various ways depending on timing and exposure.

Maturation

The process of biological growth and development that occurs in an orderly sequence, independent of environmental influences. It involves physical, cognitive, and emotional development and follows a predetermined timeline (e.g., motor skill development, language acquisition).

Assimilation

In Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, assimilation refers to the process of incorporating new information into existing schemas (mental frameworks or categories). For example, if a child learns a new animal and calls it a 'dog' because it has similar features to a dog they know, they are assimilating new information into their existing schema for 'dog.'

Jean Piaget

A Swiss psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development in children. Piaget proposed that children move through four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages.

Schemas

Cognitive frameworks or structures that help individuals organize and interpret information. Schemas can be about objects, people, events, or concepts, and they evolve as we gain more experiences and knowledge.

Conservation

A cognitive ability, developed during Piaget's concrete operational stage, that allows children to understand that certain properties of objects (such as quantity, volume, or mass) remain the same despite changes in their form or appearance. For example, a child understands that the amount of liquid remains the same when poured into a different-shaped container.

Egocentrism

In Piaget's theory, egocentrism refers to the tendency of young children (usually in the preoperational stage) to view the world solely from their own perspective and have difficulty understanding other people's viewpoints. An example is when a child believes that everyone sees the world as they do.

Accommodation

In Piaget's theory, accommodation refers to the process of modifying existing schemas or creating new ones when new information cannot be assimilated into existing frameworks.

Abstract Thinking

The ability to think about concepts and ideas that are not physically present or tangible. It involves reasoning, problem-solving, and planning beyond concrete or immediate situations.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have their own thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives, which may differ from one's own.

Overgeneralization

A cognitive phenomenon in language development where a child applies a rule they've learned too broadly, such as saying 'goed' instead of 'went' or 'mouses' instead of 'mice.'

Syntax

The set of rules that govern the structure of sentences in a language, including the order of words.

Phoneme

The smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish words from one another.

Grammar

The system of rules that governs the structure of language, including syntax (sentence structure), morphology (word structure), and phonology (sound structure).

Lev Vygotsky

A Russian psychologist known for his sociocultural theory of cognitive development.

ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development)

A concept in Vygotsky's theory referring to the range of tasks that a learner can perform with the help of a more knowledgeable person.

Morpheme

The smallest unit of meaning in a language.