Developmental Psychology in Early Childhood

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from early childhood developmental psychology, including Erikson's stages, play types, cognitive development, and language learning.

Trust vs. Mistrust

The first stage of Erikson's psychosocial development where infants learn to trust that their basic needs will be met.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

The second stage of Erikson's psychosocial development where toddlers learn to be self-sufficient or may experience doubt in their abilities.

Initiative vs. Guilt

The third stage of Erikson's psychosocial development where children become inquisitive and eager for responsibility, or feel guilt for their curiosity.

Hope

The virtue acquired in the Trust vs. Mistrust stage.

Will

The virtue acquired in the Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt stage.

Purpose

The virtue acquired in the Initiative vs. Guilt stage.

Solitary Play

Play that occurs when a child plays alone, unaware of other children.

Onlooker Play

Play when a child watches other children play without participating.

Parallel Play

Play where children play with similar toys in similar ways but do not interact.

Associative Play

Play where children interact by observing each other and sharing materials, but their play is not yet mutual.

Cooperative Play

Play where children work together to create and elaborate on a joint activity.

Sociodramatic Play

A form of pretend play where children act out roles and themes from stories.

Myelination

The process that involves the fatty coating on axons of brain cells, which speeds up nerve impulse transmission.

Centration

The cognitive focus on one aspect of a situation while ignoring others.

Egocentrism

The inability to differentiate between one's own perspective and that of others.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The range of tasks that a child can perform with assistance but not yet independently.

Private Speech

Internal dialogue that occurs when individuals talk to themselves, which becomes inner speech.

Fast Mapping

A cognitive process that allows children to learn new words rapidly without full understanding.

Overregularization

The application of grammatical rules inappropriately, leading to nonstandard forms (e.g., "I goed").