PSYC 255: CH. 3 - PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN INFANCY

The rapid development of the brain in infancy can be attributed to the

cephalocaudal principle.

The average North American newborn is ______ inches long.

20.

Which statement below represents most accurately creativity and complex thinking in most people?

Complex thinking includes creativity and is the outcome of communication between both hemispheres of the brain.

The most common infant sleep-related problem is?

nighttime waking.

Which of the following are outcomes of breast feeding for children? (More than one option may be correct.)

• fewer gastrointestinal infections

• increased maturation of the immune system

• less chance of becoming overweight or obese

The ______ pattern of growth is reflected in the fact that infants can see an object before they can control their torso.

cephalocaudal.

The average North American newborn weighs ______ pounds.

7.5.

According to dynamic systems theory, what is required before infants can begin to develop their motor skills and perform actions?

They must perceive something in the environment that motivates them to act.

Reading and performing music are generally believed to involve ______ of the brain.

both hemisphere.

What are the purposes of reflexes?

• They allow infants to respond adaptively to their environment.

• They are survival mechanisms, which are genetically carried.

Which of the following have been linked to infant sleep problems?

• Maternal depression

• Screen time

Gross motor skills

involve large-muscle activities.

Research has shown that ______ has multiple benefits for infants, such as a lower risk of respiratory tract infections and gastrointestinal infections.

breast feeding

The rapid development of the brain in infancy can be attributed to the

Cephalocaudal principle.

Any activity that requires finger dexterity is referred to as a

fine motor skill.

Which theory of motor development suggests that perceptions are necessary for infants to fine tune their movements and that motor skills represent solutions to the infants' goals?

dynamic systems theory

The eyes, ears, tongue, nostrils, and skin are all considered to be

sensory receptors.

Behaviors that are built-in reactions to stimuli that allow infants to respond to their environment before they have learned the behavior are called

reflexes.

According to Kelly, Borchert, & Teller (1997), infants can discriminate among some colors by ______.

8 weeks

Which of the following activities is not a gross motor skill?

tying shoes

When can sound first be perceived?

during the last two months of pregnancy

The action of a child crawling across the room to grab a colorful toy would be an example of intermodal perception because it

integrates information from multiple sensory modalities.

Which of the following activities is not considered a fine motor skill?

riding a tricycle

A recent study in which researchers followed the visual development of infants with cataracts evaluated visual development based on the timing of cataract removal and lens replacement in the first several months after birth. The study revealed that visual development was normal if cataract surgery was performed early, but that delaying replacement resulted in impaired visual development. Which of the following conclusions did researchers draw from this research?

There is an early sensitive period in which visual input is necessary for normal visual development.

______ occurs when information interacts with sensory receptors.

Sensation

Perception and ______ are coupled with each other. This is demonstrated through the movement of one's head, hands, arms, and eyes.

action

True or False?
Research shows that infants prefer to look at faces rather than other objects wthin hours after they are born.

True

Which of the following can be inferred as an outcome of the research by DeCasper and Spence (1986) in which mothers read The Cat in the Hat to their fetuses and then to the children post-birth?

• Fetuses can learn.

• Fetuses can hear.

In Piaget's theory, actions or mental representations that organize knowledge are called

schemes.

The integration of information from two or more sensory modalities is called

intermodal perception.

Assimilation occurs when children use ______ schemes to deal with new information or experiences.

existing

A longitudinal research study in which infant cataracts were removed at different points of development demonstrated that experiencing patterned visual input early in infancy is important for which of the following development?

holistic and detailed face processing

A child calls all winged creatures birds, including bats and butterflies. Her mother teaches her the correct terms for the different animals, and the child does not make the mistake again in the future. What Piagetian concept does this example describe?

accommodation

The main theme of the ecological approach of Eleanor and James J. Gibson is that ______ and action are coupled.

perception

A baby learns how to use a spoon. He later learns how to use a fork and knife. He relates these behaviors together into a higher-order system. What Piagetian concept does this example describe?

organization

The focusing of mental resources on select information is known as?

attention

Grasping, strategies for problem solving, driving a car, and balancing a budget are all examples of ______, according to Piaget.

schemes

Which two of the following strategies do parents typically use with infants to direct joint attention?

• pointing

• gaze following

_________ occurs when children use their existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences.

assimilation

______ is the replication of behavior after a time delay of hours or days.

Deferred imitation

__________ occurs when children adjust their schemes to take new information and experiences into account.

accommodation

Ben has learned how to ride a tricycle. His parents buy him a two-wheeled bike with training wheels. He gets right on the new bike and begins to ride after practicing using the brakes (which his tricycle did not have). He even comments to his parents,"My trike doesn't have brakes!" Piaget would say that Ben has related his knowledge about how to ride a tricycle to learning to ride the new bike. What has Ben done with his knowledge of bike riding?

organized his knowledge of bike riding

________ is the retention of information over time.

memory

Michelle, an infant, is looking intently at her mother as she sings her a song. Which of the following best describes what Michelle is demonstrating?

attention

Which of the following are components of language?

• words used by a community

• rules for combining words

• rules for varying words

Which of the following are required for joint attention?

• reciprocal interaction

• an ability to track another's behavior

• one person directing another's attention

Andrew is an 18-month-old boy. His mother has been cleaning the house. Andrew watches her vacuum, wash the windows, and sweep the kitchen floor. The next day his mother watches as Andrew takes his toy vacuum and pretends to vacuum the floor. What cognitive technique is Andrew demonstrating?

deferred imitation

Order the sequence of babies' sounds and gestures during the first year of life, beginning with the earliest form at the top.

• crying

• cooing

• babbling

• gestures

A child calls all winged creatures birds, including bats and butterflies. Her mother teaches her the correct terms for the different animals, and the child does not make the mistake again in the future. What Piagetian concept does this example describe?

accommodation

True or False?
According to Chomsky, children's language acquisition device (LAD) provides them with the ability to form plural words.

True.

Which of the following involves the retention of information over time?

memory

Which view of language acquisition emphasizes both the biological and the experiential contribution to language development?

the interactionist view

______ is a form of communication that is based on a system of symbols.

Language

_________ attention occurs when two individuals focus on the same object or event.

joint

Which sound do infants demonstrate first?

crying

Chomsky believed that children are born into the world with a language

acquisition device.

An interactionist view emphasizes that both ______ contribute to language acquisition.

biology and experience

Which theorist believed that humans are biologically programmed to learn language at a certain time and in a certain way?

Noam Chomsky