Lifespan Physical and Cognitive development in Infants

assimilation

process by which we incorporate new information into an existing schema

babbling

repeated sequence of consonant-vowel sounds

biopsychosocial

change influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors

child-directed speech

speech with a sing-song intonation, simple words, and exaggerated pronunciation

co-sleeping

practice in which caregivers share a bed or a room with the infant or toddler

cooing

deliberate generation of vowel sounds

dynamic systems theory

theory that developmental behaviors and milestones are the result of interactions between systems, including those within the individual

electroencephalogram (EEG)

test that measures electrical activity in the brain

fast mapping

process by which children quickly connect words and their meanings

fine motor skills

coordinated movements performed by small muscles to manipulate and control objects or perform precise tasks like reaching for and grasping an object

gray matter

outer layer of the brain

gross motor skills

voluntary movements that rely on large muscle groups and typically activate the arms, legs, head, and torso

habituation

decreased interest in and response to repeatedly presented stimuli

holophrase

speech that uses a single word to express an idea

implicit memory

type of memory that is not part of our consciousness

infant mortality

death before the age of one year

interactionist approach

approach to language development highlighting the complex interactions between the biological readiness of children and the environment in which they are raised

kwashiorkor

severe malnutrition, with a loss of appetite and swelling of the abdomen as the body breaks down organs as a source of protein

learning approach

approach to language development that highlights the contribution of caregivers

long-term memory

relatively permanent storage of information

marasmus

starvation due to lack of calories and protein

myelination

process by which the axon develops the myelin sheath

nativist approach

approach to language development asserting that humans are born with the innate ability to learn language and that experience plays a very limited role

neurogenesis

development of new neurons

NREM

non–rapid eye movement sleep, characterized by slowed heart rate and respiration

object permanence

ability to recognize that an object exists even when we cannot observe it

parietal lobe

portion of the brain that processes sensory information such as touch and spatial awareness

prefrontal cortex

front of the frontal lobe that regulates emotions and is involved in planning and judgment

REM

rapid eye movement sleep, sometimes called active sleep

sensorimotor development

first stage of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development theory, focused on children’s early experiences of the world

social referencing

process in which children use information from another to determine their own response

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

death of a healthy infant that is sudden and unexpected and cannot be explained

sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)

death from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), accidental suffocation or strangulation, or an unknown cause

synapse

gap between neurons where neurotransmitters are released from the axon to the dendrite of the next neuron

synaptogenesis

process in which neurons connect with other, nearby neurons

temporal lobe

portion of the brain associated with hearing and language

underextension

tendency of young children to inappropriately restrict the use of a word

universal listener

infant who can distinguish the sounds of both native and non-native languages

visual cliff

test of depth perception that uses a table with the appearance of a drop-off from a shallow to deep surface

white matter

brain matter composed of many bundles of axons that connect neurons to different regions with functional circuits/pathways

Gross motor skills: birth (0 mo)

Moves arm/legs, turns head

Gross motor skills: 1 mo

Lifts head steady

Gross motor skills: 2 mo

Raises head when on tummy

Gross Motor skills: 3 mo

Holds head steady

Gross motor skills: 4 mo

Roll to one side

Gross motor skills: 5 mo

Push up on arms

Gross motor skills: 6 mo

Rolls both directions

Gross motor skills: 7 mo

Sits with support

Gross motor skills: 8 mo

Creeping

Gross motor skills: 9 mo

Sits unsupported

Gross motor skills: 10 mo

Pulls to stand

Gross motor skills: 11 mo

Cruises along furniture

Gross motor skills: 12 mo

Takes first steps

Gross motor skills: 13-18 months

Walks steadily

Gross motor skills: 2 yr

Runs, kicks ball

Gross motor skills: 3 yr

Climbs stairs, pedals

Gross motor skills: 4 yr

Hops, balance briefly

Gross motor skills: 5 yr

Balances on one foot

Gross motor skills: 6 yr

Skips, jumps rope

Gross motor skills: 7 yr

Rides bike

Gross motor skills: 8 yr

Jumps high, coordinated

Gross motor skills: 9 yr

Plays organized sports

Gross motor skills: 10 yr

Smooth coordination in motor skills

Reflexes: Birth (0 mo)

Present: Moro, rooting, palmar grasp, ATNR, stepping, plantar grasp, tonic labyrinthine (TLR)

Reflexes: 1 mo

Moro, rooting and ATNR active

Reflexes: 2 mo

Stepping reflex fades

Reflexes: 3 mo

Moro starts to fade, ATNR active

Reflexes: 4 mo

ATNR fading, rooting diminishing

Reflexes 5 mo

Rooting reflex integrated

Reflexes: 6 mo

TLR beginning to integrate

Reflexes: 7 mo

Moro reflex integrated

Reflexes: 8 mo

Palmar grasp fading

Reflexes: 9 mo

Landau reflex active (emerges 3-4 mo)

Reflexes: 10 mo

Parachute reflex (protective) active

Reflexes: 11 mo

Palmar grasping fading

Reflexes: 12 mo

Most primitive reflexes integrated

Reflexes: 13-18 mo

Postural reflexes developing

Reflexes: 2 yr

Postural control strong

Reflexes: 3 yr

Righting and equilibrium reactions mature

Reflexes: 4 yr

Integrated reflexes support coordination

Reflexes: 5 yr

Postural reflexes automatic

Reflexes: 6 yr

Smooth coordination

Reflexes: 7 yr

Reflexive responses fully mature

Fine motor skills: Birth (0 mo)

Grasps finger reflexively

Fine motor skills: 1 mo

Keeps hand in fists

Fine motor skills: 2 mo

Open/closes hand

Fine motor skills: 3 mo

Brings hand to mouth

Fine motor skills: 4 mo

Grasps briefly

Fine motor skills: 5 mo

Reaches purposefully

Fine motor skills: 6 mo

Transfers objects between hands

Fine motor skills: 7 mo

Rakes small objects

Fine motor skills: 8 mo

Pick up small items crudely

Fine motor skills: 9 mo

Uses pincer grasp (thumb and finger)

Fine motor skills: 10 mo

Bangs toys together

Fine motor skills: 11 mo

Points at objects

Fine motor skills: 12 mo

Pick tiny tines precisely

Fine motor skills: 13-18 months

Stacks 2 block

Fine motor skills: 2 yr

Builds tower of 6 blocks