Psychology 201: Infancy Development (Chapters 3 & 4)

Flashcards covering physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development in infancy based on chapters 3 and 4 of Psychology 201.

Cephalocaudal pattern

The sequence in which the earliest growth always occurs at the top of the head.

Proximodistal pattern

A sequence in which growth starts at the center of the body and moves toward the extremities.

Shaken Baby Syndrome

A condition involving brain swelling and hemorrhaging, often caused by fathers, child care providers, or mothers' boyfriends.

Lateralization

The specialization of function in one hemisphere of the brain or the other.

Myelin sheath

A layer of fat cells that encases many axons to provide insulation and help electrical signals travel faster.

Neuro-constructivist view

The perspective that biological processes and environmental experiences influence brain development, emphasizing the brain's plasticity and context dependency.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

A condition occurring when an infant stops breathing, usually at night, and dies suddenly without an apparent cause.

Dynamic systems theory

A theory suggesting that infants assemble motor skills for perceiving and acting, where perception and action are coupled.

Reflexes

Genetically carried survival mechanisms that are automatic, involuntary, and built-in reactions to stimuli.

Gross Motor skills

Physical tasks involving large-muscle activities, such as sitting, standing, and walking.

Fine Motor skills

Finely tuned movements involving finger dexterity, such as grasping a toy or using a spoon.

Schemes

In Piaget's theory, these are physical activities (behavioral) or mental representations (mental) that organize knowledge.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first of Piaget's stages (birth to age $2$) in which infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with motor actions.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched.

Child-directed speech

Language spoken in a higher pitch, slower tempo, and exaggerated intonation with simple words to capture infant attention.

Emotions

Feelings or affect that occur when a person is in a state or interaction that is important to their well-being.

Display rules

Non-universal rules governing when, where, and how emotions should be expressed.

Basic Cry

A rhythmic pattern consisting of a cry, brief silence, and a shorter higher-pitch whistle, often incited by hunger.

Anger Cry

A variation of the basic cry where more excess air is forced through the vocal cords.

Pain Cry

A sudden, long, initial loud cry followed by breath holding, without preliminary moaning.

Reflexive smile

A smile that does not occur in response to external stimuli, usually appearing during sleep in the first month.

Social smile

A smile appearing as early as $2$ months of age in response to an external stimulus, typically a face.

Stranger anxiety

The most frequent expression of infant fear, showing wariness of strangers, typically appearing at about $6$ months.

Separation protest

Crying when a caregiver leaves, which tends to peak at about $15$ months.

Social referencing

Reading emotional cues in others to help determine how to act in a particular situation.

Temperament

Individual differences in behavioral styles, emotions, and characteristic ways of responding.

Easy Child

A child who is generally in a positive mood, quickly establishes regular routines, and adapts easily to new experiences.

Difficult Child

A child who reacts negatively and cries frequently, engages in irregular daily routines, and is slow to accept change.

Slow to warm up child

A child with a low activity level, who is somewhat negative, and displays a mood of low intensity.

Goodness of fit

The match between a child's temperament and the environmental demands the child must cope with.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Erikson's first stage of development where infants learn trust through consistently nurturing care.

Attachment

A close emotional bond between two people.

Secure attachment

A pattern where the child becomes distressed when the parent leaves but is easily comforted when the parent returns.

Insecure avoidant attachment

A pattern where the child is not distressed when the parent leaves and ignores the parent when they return.

Insecure resistant attachment

A pattern where the child is distressed when the parent leaves and may seek to punish the parent by displaying overt anger.

Insecure disorganized attachment

A pattern where the child does not have a predictable pattern and may display signs of depression or disturbing behavior.

Reciprocal socialization

The bidirectional influence of socialization between parents and children.

Scaffolding

Timing interactions, such as Peek-a-boo, so that children learn to take turns.