PSY 3515 Exam 2

What connects the 2 hemspheres together?

The corpus callosum

What is the cerebrum

2 connected hemispheres of the brain

Cerebral cortex 

* Covering layer 
* Cells control specific function 

What is the amygdala in charge of?

Emotions

What is the hippocampus in charge of?

Memories

The frontal lobe controls what?

Executive functions

Neuron  

Cell in the body’s system  

What is the core components of the nervous system 

Brain, spinal cord 

What do neurons do?

* Born with majority 
* Existing grow 
* As neurons grow, the brain grows 

Myelination 

* Glial cells encase neurons in fatty substance (myelin) 
* Speeds up the transmission  

Synapse 

* Specialization site of intercellular communication 


* Info is exchanged between nerves 

Where does synapse take place

In-between the dendrites and axon tips 

Synaptic pruning 

* Not often stimulated 
* Becomes useless and dies 
* Is then replaced by new neurons 

Plasticity 

Respond and adapt to input from environment 

Developmental plasticity

Synaptic pruning 

Adaptive  plasticity 

Injury 

Sensation  

Detection of stimuli by the sensory receptors 

Perception 

* Well developed, even at birth 
* Allows infants to adapt to their environment 

What is measured with the autonomic nervous system 

Heart rate and respiration

What is perceived when there is an increase in heart rate

Fear

What is perceived when there is an decrease in heart rate

Interest

What is some motor responses

* Sucking 
* Slight turn of head  
* Kicking 

Visual preference method 

* Attend longer to stimuli that they find interesting 
* If infant looks longer at a different (novel) stimuli 


* We assume they can perceive a difference 

Habituation 

Process of learning which an individual reacts with less and less intensity to a repeatedly presented stimulus, eventually responding faintly or not at all  

Visual acuity  

Sharpness of vision, clarify with which a person can detect fine details 

Visual clarity with newborns (under 1 month)

* Objects not held close to face  
* Blurry and indistinct 

Visual clarity with Infants between 6-12 months 

Within the normal adult range 

Can newborns see colors?

No

Can infants (4 months) see colors

Yes the normal adult range

What do newborns prefer to see?

* Prefer faces to non-faces 
* Prefer mothers’ face to stranger's face 

How is a newborn hearing screened?

* Sound in ear-echo is measured 
* Auditory brainstem response-nerve response 

What do newborns prefer to hear

* Human voices 
* High-pitched and exaggerated pitch contours 


* Also known as motherese 

What are some difficulties with hearing?

* Hard to diagnose
* Based on behavioral responses
* Deafness often diagnosed as late as 2.5-3 years
* Ear infections

Reflexes 

Involuntary response to external stimuli 

Why are reflexes important?

* Survival value 


* Others may have had survival value to ancestors 

What if there are no reflexes at birth?

May indicate neurological damage 

What if the reflex is present after 3-4 months?

May have developmental issues 

Rooting and sucking reflex

* If the cheek is stimulated, then they turn the direction of the stimulation and start sucking 


* Survival disappears 3-4 months  

Moro reflex 

* Baby extends arms outwards when they feel like they are falling or if they are startled  
* Disappears at 6-7 months 

Palmer/grasping reflex 

* If the babies palm is touched by something, then it will grasp it 
* Disappears by 3-4 months 

Palmer grasp relfex

* Voluntary  
* End of the first year develops into pincer grasp 

Stepping reflex

* When a baby's weight is supported with the feet touching the ground, the baby will make a walking motion  
* Disappears after 3-4 months 

Fencing reflex 

* When a baby is placed on its side with its head turned to the side, it will stretch out the arm and leg in the direction of it is facing and pull the opposite arm and leg inwards  
* Looks like a fencer’s pose 


* Disappears after first few months 

Joseph Campos said that…

* Babies look for nonverbal cues that influences their behavior in uncertain contexts 
* Said that due to the mom’s expression, the child would not crawl across  

Depth perception

* Visual cliff 
* 6-14 months  

Types of self-soothing 

* Sucking (e.g., thumb or hand) 
* May be effective because it lessens overall body movements 

Types of parental soothing 

* Physical 


* Swaddling, rocking, walking 


* Auditory White Noise 
* Bassinets with portable sound machines 

What do Navajo babies get soothed

* Cradleboard 
* Wooden back and hoop 

How long do newborns sleep?

16-20 hours (70%)

What are some major causes of infant mortality?

* Birth defects 
* Prematurity/low birth weight 
* SIDS 
* Maternal complications 

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 

* Unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant 
* Common 2-4 months 

What are the child risk factors of SIDS

* Low birth weight 


* Male 
* Respiratory problems 
* Hospitalization after birth (NICU) 
* Abnormal heart-rate patterns 

What are the maternal/paternal risk factors of SIDS

* Mother's who  
* Are anemic 
* Use narcotics 
* Has received little prenatal care 
* Smokes 

Physical Vulnerability in the infant that could lead to SIDS

* Abnormality in the brain that controls breathing 
* Brainstem may not be full developed fully 

Stressors in the environment that could possibly lead to SIDS

* Second hand smoke 


* Overheating due to too much clothing 

How to prevent SIDS

* Sleep on black  
* 50% decline 


* No overly soft materials (e.g., bumpers, blankets, mattresses, pillows) 
* Pacifier 
* Same room/monitor 

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development 

* Interviews and observations 
* Similar errors 
* Children the same age make similar errors 

Key Points of Piaget’s Theory

* __Active role__ in seeking knowledge 
* Knowledge is __organized__ 
* __Adapt__ to fit knowledge into current understanding 

Constructivist view 

Children actively create their understanding of the world as they encounter new information and have new experiences 

Organization 

Combining simple mental structures into more complex systems 

How is knowledge organized?

Simple to complex

Cognitive structures 

An organized group of interrelated memories, ideas, and strategies that a child uses in trying to understand a situation 

What’s an example of a simple cognitive structure?

One to one correspondence 

What’s an example of a complex cognitive structure?

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Schema  

Organized unit of knowledge (concept) 

What does schema do?

* Assists understanding 
* How we make sense of things  

Disequilibrium 

Feeling of being really confused 

Schemes can be what?

Modified based on experiences

Adaptation 

Adjusting one’s thinking to fit with environmental demands 

Assimilation 

Applying an existing schema to fit a new experience 

What’s an example of assimilation?

Different ways to use a stool

Accommodation 

Modifying an existing schema to fit a new experience 

What’s an example accommodation?

Making a new schema of what a cat is

The stages of development are…

Comprehensive, qualitative changes over time in the way a child thinks 

Sensorimotor Stage 

* 0-2 
* Built on reflexes 
* Form mental representations of objects and events (2 years

Object concept 

Knowledge of object is formed from experiences 

Object permanence 

An object continues to exist independently even if it is out of sight 

**Basic reflex** (0-1 months) 

Ex. Grasping, sucking 

**Primary circular reactions** (1-4 months) 

Repetitive behaviors-infants' own body 

**Secondary Circular Reactions** (4-8 months) 

* Repetitive behaviors 
* Outside of infant’s body 


* Combining schemas (grasping and shaking) 

**Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions** (8-12 months) 

* Sophisticated combinations of behaviors 
* Directed toward objects 
* Goal oriented 


* Reflects intentionality 

**Tertiary Circular Reactions** (12-18 months) 

* Experiment with external objects 
* Trial and error methods 

**Inventing New Means by Mental Combination** (18-24 months) 

* Combine schemas mentally 


* Less physical trial and error 

Symbolic thought 

Mental images and concepts to represent people, objects, and events 

Deferred imitation 

Mimics an action some time after observing it 

What is language? 

* Communication system 
* Rule-governed  


* Infinite number of messages 

What are the two ways that language is processed?

* Expressive (productive) language 
* Receptive language  

What are the four areas of language

* Phonology 
* Semantics 
* Grammar 
* Pragmatics 

Phonology

Sounds

Phonemes 

Smallest unit that affects meaning 

__Semantics__

* word meanings
* Knowledge of specific words, definitions 
* Understanding of how we use words 

Grammar

structure of language

__Morphology__ 

Smallest unit of meaning 

__Syntax__ 

How words combine

Pragmatics

appropriate language

How might **Skinner’s** view language development? 

Through reinforcement

How children learn through Skinner’s view (Learning view- Nurture)

* Parents selectively reinforce 
* Closest approximations 
* Parents shape child’s speech 

How might **Bandura’s** view language development (Learning view-Nurture)

Imitation 

What are some arguments with the nurture perspective?

* Number of stimulus-response connections 
* Just as likely to reward grammatically incorrect utterances 
* Children across cultures seem to learn rules in the same order 

How might **Chomsky** view language development? 

**Nativist (Nature) View**