Prenatal & Early Physical Development and Cognitive Development

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to prenatal and early physical development, as well as stages of cognitive development, including definitions of critical terms and theories.

Prenatal Development

The process of development occurring from conception to birth, including germinal, embryonic, and fetal stages.

Teratogens

Harmful agents (like alcohol, drugs, viruses) that can negatively affect prenatal development.

Milestones

Predictable skills or behaviors children achieve at certain ages, like walking or talking.

Maturation

Biological growth processes that occur naturally, relatively uninfluenced by experience.

Growth Spurt

A rapid increase in height and weight occurring during infancy and adolescence.

Fine Motor Coordination

Small, precise movements involving hands and fingers, such as writing or buttoning a shirt.

Gross Motor Coordination

Large movements involving arms, legs, and whole body, for example, walking or jumping.

Reflexes

Automatic, inborn responses to specific stimuli present at birth.

Rooting Reflex

An infant's tendency to turn its head toward anything that touches its cheek, aiding in feeding.

Visual Cliff

A laboratory device used to test depth perception in infants.

Critical Periods

Specific time frames when certain experiences must occur for normal development.

Sensitive Periods

Optimal periods when experiences have a greater impact, though development can still occur later.

Imprinting

A rapid, innate learning process occurring early in life where an infant forms a strong attachment.

Puberty

The period of sexual maturation when a person becomes capable of reproduction.

Primary Sex Characteristics

Body structures directly involved in reproduction, such as ovaries and testes.

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Physical traits developing during puberty that are not directly involved in reproduction.

Menarche

A female's first menstrual period.

Spermarche

A male's first ejaculation.

Menopause

The natural decline in reproductive ability in women, typically occurring in midlife.

Sex

Biological characteristics that define male or female.

Sensorimotor Stage

The developmental stage (birth to 2 years) where infants learn through sensory experiences and motor actions.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen.

Preoperational Stage

The developmental stage (2 to 7 years) where children begin using mental symbols and language but lack logical reasoning.

Egocentrism

Difficulty seeing the world from another person's perspective.

Cognitive Development

The process of growth in a child's abilities to think and understand.

Jean Piaget

A cognitive developmental psychologist who proposed that children actively construct knowledge through interaction.

Schemas

Mental frameworks that organize and interpret information.

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences using existing schemas.

Accommodation

Adjusting schemas to incorporate new information.

Animism

The belief that inanimate objects have feelings or intentions.

Conservation

Understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance.

Reversibility

Understanding that operations can be undone.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives different from one’s own.

Concrete Operational Stage

The developmental stage (7 to 11 years) where children develop logical thinking about concrete objects.

Formal Operational Stage

The developmental stage (12+ years) where individuals can think abstractly and reason logically.

Lev Vygotsky

A psychologist emphasizing the role of social interaction and culture in cognitive development.