Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to cognitive and emotional development during infancy and toddlerhood, as discussed in Chapter 5 and Chapter 6.

Cognitive Development

The rapid growth of cognitive skills and language abilities during infancy and toddlerhood.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first stage in Piaget's theory, spanning from birth to 2 years, where infants learn through interacting with their environment.

Basic Trust vs. Mistrust

Erikson's first psychosocial conflict occurring in infancy, where the infant learns to trust caregivers based on the quality of care.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Erikson's second conflict during toddlerhood, involving the child's ability to assert independence and exercise self-control.

Attachment Theory

Bowlby's theory that suggests the strong emotional bond between caregiver and infant promotes survival and emotional security.

Social Referencing

A process whereby infants look to caregivers for emotional cues about how to respond to unfamiliar situations.

Self-Awareness

An understanding by toddlers that they are distinct individuals, leading to self-recognition and the development of self-concept.

Positive Affect

A temperament dimension describing the frequency of expressing happiness and pleasure.

Effortful Control

The capacity to voluntarily suppress a dominant, reactive response in favor of a more adaptive response.

Video Deficit Effect

The phenomenon where toddlers learn less from video than from live interactions, especially when the content isn't interactively engaging.

Displaced Reference

The realization that words can refer to objects that are not present, typically developing around the first birthday.

Joint Attention

A social interaction in which two individuals focus on an object or event, facilitating language development.

Deferred Imitation

The ability to remember and copy an action after a delay, indicating mental representation.

Overextension

A language development error where a child uses a word too broadly, applying it to objects or actions beyond its typical meaning.

Underextension

A language development error where a child applies a word too narrowly, to a specific object rather than the category it represents.

Nativist Perspective

The theory that posits children are born with an innate ability to acquire language, as proposed by Noam Chomsky.

Interactionist Perspective

The view that language development results from the interaction of innate capacities and social experiences.

Emotional Self-Regulation

The ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences, improving as children grow and acquire strategies for emotion management.

Stranger Anxiety

The fear of strangers that infants typically exhibit starting around 6 months, indicating attachment to familiar caregivers.

Internal Working Model

A mental representation of attachment relationships that influences future relationships and emotional security.