Childhood and Family Lecture Series

Practice flashcards covering key concepts, terms, and definitions from the Childhood and Family lectures.

Constructivism

Knowledge is constructed through the interaction between what a child already knows and what the child experiences.

Schemas

Mental structures or frameworks that organize knowledge about the world.

Assimilation

Using existing schemas to interpret new experiences.

Accommodation

Changing schemas in response to new experiences.

Object permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight.

Conservation

Understanding that physical properties such as number, mass, and volume stay the same despite superficial transformations.

Egocentrism

The tendency to perceive the world only from one's own point of view.

Separation anxiety

Distress shown by children when separated from their caregivers.

Secure attachment

A strong affectional tie to special people that provides pleasure in interaction and comfort in times of stress.

Internal working model

A schema about what caregivers are like, what the self is like in relationships, and how relationships work more broadly.

Baby schema

Infant-like features that trigger caretaking motivation in adults.

Oxytocin

A hormone that supports caregiving, warmth, and bonding.

Habituation

Decreased response to repeated exposure to the same stimulus.

Dishabituation

Increased response following a change in the stimulus.

Violation of expectation (VOE)

A method that assumes infants have expectations about events; looking longer at unexpected events indicates awareness.

Prefrontal cortex

The area of the brain that matures slowly and is involved in executive functions such as planning and working memory.

Executive function

The mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first stage in Piaget's theory (birth to 2 years), where infants learn through sensory experiences and manipulating objects.

Preoperational Stage

The second stage (2 to 7 years) characterized by symbolic thinking, egocentrism, and lack of understanding of conservation.

Concrete Operational Stage

The third stage (7 to 11 years) where children gain the ability to think logically about concrete events but struggle with abstract concepts.

Formal Operational Stage

The fourth stage (11 years and up) where individuals develop the ability to think abstractly, reason logically, and use deductive reasoning.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives different from one's own, developing around the preoperational stage.

Conservation Tasks

Experiments (e.g., liquid, number, mass) used to assess a child's understanding of conservation, occurring primarily in the concrete operational stage.

Egocentrism Task

The classic experiment involving three mountains, demonstrating a child's focus on their own perspective during the preoperational stage.

Object Permanence Studies

Research showing that an understanding of object permanence develops between 4 to 8 months during the sensorimotor stage.

Stage-specific Learning

The concept that children can only learn certain skills or concepts within the confines of each developmental stage as proposed by Piaget.

Piaget's Legacy

Piaget's theories have greatly influenced education, emphasizing the importance of developmental stages and active learning.

Social Learning Theory

A theory that suggests individuals learn behaviors through observation, imitation, and modeling, particularly in social contexts.

Imprinting

A form of rapid learning that occurs during a critical period shortly after birth, where certain animals form attachments to the first moving object they encounter.

Critical Periods

Specific time frames during development when the presence or absence of certain experiences can have lasting effects on behavior and skills.

Attachment Styles

Patterns of attachment behaviors exhibited in relationships, typically categorized into secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized.

Scaffolding

A teaching method where support is gradually removed as a learner becomes more competent, helping them achieve independence in learning.

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory

A theory emphasizing the importance of social interaction and cultural context in cognitive development, highlighting the role of language and social experiences.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The range of tasks that a learner can perform with guidance but not yet independently, crucial for targeting instruction effectively.

Resilience

The capacity of individuals to adapt and thrive despite challenges or adversity, often influenced by support systems and coping strategies.

Developmental Milestones

Key skills or behaviors that are typically expected to develop at certain ages, used to gauge a child's growth and development.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life, crucial for learning and recovery from injury.