Human Development: Infancy to Early Childhood Overview

Baltes principles

Guiding principles of life-span developmental approach

Lifelong development

Continuous growth and change throughout life

Multidimensional development

Involving various aspects like physical, cognitive, and psychosocial

Multidirectional development

Developmental changes in different directions

Plasticity in development

Ability to change and adapt throughout life

Historical influences

Effects of past events on development

Psychosocial development

Development of social and emotional aspects

Cognitive development

Growth in mental abilities and processes

Infancy/Toddler stage

Birth to 3 years old period focusing on physical and cognitive growth

Erikson's stage theory

Psychosocial development theory with 8 stages

Basic trust vs. mistrust

Infancy stage in Erikson's theory focusing on hope and trust

Autonomy vs. Shame/doubt

Toddler stage in Erikson's theory emphasizing independence and self-doubt

Initiative vs. guilt

Early childhood stage in Erikson's theory highlighting purpose and initiative

Social construction

Cultural invention shaping societal norms and practices

Heredity influences

Inherited traits impacting development

Environmental influences

Nonhereditary factors affecting development

Maturation effects

Natural sequence of physical and behavioral changes

Normative vs. Nonnormative Influences

Differences between typical group influences and unique individual events

Imprinting

Instinctive learning forming early attachments

Nuclear family

Two-generational household with parents and children

Extended family

Multigenerational kinship network living together

Classical conditioning

Learning through stimulus association

Operant conditioning

Learning through behavior consequences

Theoretical perspectives on development

Various views on human growth and change

Psychoanalytic perspective

Development influenced by unconscious forces

Learning perspective

Emphasizes thought processes in development

Cognitive perspective

Focuses on mental processes in development

Contextual perspective

Considers evolutionary and biological bases of behavior

Evolutionary perspective

Focuses on evolutionary and sociobiological influences

Freud's view on development

Development shaped by unconscious motivations and psychosexual stages

Erikson's view on development

Psychosocial theory emphasizing stages and challenges

Freudian theory

Extends Freudian theory by emphasizing the influence of society

Psychosocial

Principle that reason develops gradually in reality

Ego

Part of the ego/self that develops gradually in reality

Superego

Part of the ego/self that involves major psychological challenges for healthy development

Social learning theory

Theory that behaviors are learned by observing and imitating models

Reciprocal determinism

Bidirectional forces affecting development where people act on the world as the world acts on them

Observational learning

Learning through watching the behaviors of others to develop self-efficacy

Zone of proximal development

Difference between what a child can do alone versus with help

Scaffolding

Temporary support to help a child master a task

Theory of attachment

Belief that emotional bonds with caregivers impact development throughout life

Nature vs nurture

Debate on the influence of genetics (nature) versus environment (nurture) on traits

Heritability

Estimation of the relative influence of genes and environment on traits

Germinal stage

Stage of rapid cell division in the first 2 weeks of fetal development

Embryonic stage

Stage of rapid growth of major body systems in fetal development

Fetal stage

Stage from 8 weeks to birth involving differentiation of body parts

Apgar score

Measurement of a newborn's condition based on appearance, pulse, reflexes, muscle tone, and respiration

Embryo

Term for the new life during the first eight weeks of development

Moro reflex

Reflex where a baby extends arms and arches back in response to a sudden movement or noise

Rooting reflex

Reflex where a baby turns its head and opens its mouth in response to cheek stimulation

Tonic Neck reflex

Reflex where a baby turns its head to one side and flexes opposing limbs when laid down

Babinski reflex

Reflex where a baby's toes fan out when the sole of the foot is stroked

Pincer grasp reflex

Emergence of using thumb and index finger to grab objects

Sensorimotor stage

Piaget's stage where infants learn through senses and motor activities

Object permanence

Understanding that objects still exist when out of sight, typically developing at 18-24 months

Deferred imitation

Reproduction of observed behavior after a period of time by recalling a stored memory

Toilet training strategies

Strategies like starting with #2, setting a routine, using rewards, and fancy underpants

Toddler development tasks

Tasks including physical readiness, mental ability, psychological willingness, and parental readiness

Toys for toddlers

Toys like blocks, art supplies, and dolls suitable for parallel, imitative, and explorative play

Foods to avoid during toddler development

any chocking hazards: popcorn, grapes, hotdogs

Solitary Play

Child plays alone with toys that are different from those of other children; makes no effort to get close with other children

Parallel Play

Children play with other children without organization; children just care about being with other children

Fast Mapping

Process by which a child absorbs the meaning of a new word after hearing it once or twice in conversation

Enuresis

Bed wetting

Physiological Anorexia

Extreme changes to appetite from day to day

Handedness

Becomes evident by the end of age 3

Centration

Where young children focus on one aspect/situation, while ignoring other relevant things

Transductive Reasoning

Mentally linking things, logically or illogically

Irreversibility

Term Piaget used to describe a child's failure to understand that an operation can go in two or more directions

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

What a child can do by themselves versus what they can do with help

Authoritarian Parenting

Emphasizes control and obedience; high control and warmth

Authoritative Parenting

Emphasizes a child's individuality but stresses limits; high control, low warmth

Culture

A group's total way of life including customs, laws, beliefs, language, etc.

Ethnic Group

Group united by ancestry, race, religion, etc.; share identity

Ethnic Gloss

Overgeneralization of ethnic/cultural group that doesn't show the differences of groups

Discontinuous Development

Whether development is continuous or occurs in stages (Freud, Erikson, Piaget)

Reinforcement

Something that will increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated

Quantitative Research

Objectively measurable data

Qualitative Research

Focused on subjective experiences like feelings, beliefs

Conception

Takes place when ovum is fertilized by sperm

Zygote

Fertilized egg

Genome

Complete sequence of genes in the human body

Incomplete Dominance

Child receives 2 different alleles, resulting in partial expression of trait

Dizygotic Twins

Result from 2 eggs and 2 sperm; fraternal twins

Monozygotic Twins

Result from one egg and one sperm that split; identical twins

Plasticity

Enables learning but can also lead to damage if harmful input

Neonate

Term for the fetus once it is born

Erikson's trust

Needs being met

Bayley Scales of Infant/Toddler Development

Tests mental/motor development, scores indicate child's competencies

Holophrase

One-word expression representing a complete thought, typically used by toddlers

Telegraphic speech

Using essential words to convey meaning, such as 'grammy sweep' for 'grandma is sweeping'

Goodness of fit

Match between a child's temperament and environmental demands

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Erikson's stage where children balance self-determination and control, developing will

Maltreatment

Includes physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional maltreatment

Postpartum depression

Major depressive disorder within 4 weeks of giving birth, affecting maternal functioning

Early Childhood

Period where children lose babyish features, grow physically, and develop motor skills

Food insecurity

Occurs when families lack adequate food for healthy living, leading to potential obesity

Food desert

Areas lacking accessible supermarkets, impacting children's nutrition and development

Theory of Mind

Children's awareness of mental processes, opposite of egocentrism, involving magical thinking

Memory encoding

Process preparing information for long-term storage and retrieval