Lifespan Development Chapters 8-10

just right phenomenon

peaks at about age 3; early childhood wish for routines; eating patterns and clothing

BMI and age

average is lower at ages 5 and 6 than any other time; center of gravity moves to the belly; gain of about 4.5 pounds per year

functions of amygdala

registers emotions, particularly fear and anxiety; responds to comfort, but not logic

brain lateralization

sidedness; referring to the specialization in certain functions by each side or the brain, with one side dominant for each activity

left side of the brain

controls the right side of the body; logical, thinking, numerical

right side of the brain

controls the left side of the body; creativity, speech, emotional

corpus callosum

a long, think band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain and allows communication between them

frontal lobe

continues to develop for many years after early childhood

prefrontal cortex

"executive" of the brain (decision-making)

autism

failure of the corpus callosum to develop

myelination

the process by which axons become coated with myelin, a fatty substance that speeds the transmission of nerve impulses from neuron to neuron

hippocampus

located right next to the amygdala; a brain structure that is a central processor of memory, especially memory of locations; responds to anxieties of the amygdala by summoning memory

perseveration

the tendency to persevere in, or stick to, one thought or action for a long time; (cause?) immaturity of the prefrontal cortex

fine motor skills

whistling, winking, writing; most involve two hands using both sides of the brain; traditional academic learning depends on these; girls mature about 6 months earlier

gross motor skills

improve dramatically; need brain maturation, motivation, and guided practice; children learn best from peers; environmental hazards impeded these

kinship care

a form of foster care in which a relative of a maltreated child, usually a grandmother, becomes the approved caregiver

neglect

failure to meet a child's basic physical, emotional, or sexual well-being; long-term effects of maltreatment, the worst neglect seems to be (substantiated and reported)

apprenticeship in thinking

Vygotsky's term for how cognition is stimulated and developed in people by more skilled members of society; children are curious and observant; parents are first mentors (guided participation)

private speech

talking to oneself either out loud of in one's mind; important road to cognitive development; develops children's minds

egocentrism

Piaget's term for children's tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective; self-centeredness (pre-operational thought)

scaffolding

temporary support that is tailored to a learner's needs and abilities and aimed at helping the learner master the next task in a given learning process; building (help children within their zone of proximal development)

conservation

the principle that the amount of a substance remains the same even when its appearance changes

Vygotsky/language

language is a tool; private speech; social mediation is vital for learning; formal or informal; scripts- verbalize experiences

static reasoning

a characteristic of pre-operational thought in which a young child thinks that nothing changes, whatever is now has always been and will always be

zone of proximal development

Vygotsky's term for skills, cognitive or physical, that a person can exercise only with assistance; not yet independently

theory of mind

a person's theory of what other people might be thinking; in order to have this, children must realize that other people are not necessarily thinking the same thoughts that they themselves are; that realization seldom occurs before age 4; belief in reality- age 3 believe people can be fooled

logical extension

after learning a new word, children use it to describe other objects in the same category (Dalmatian cows) they have difficulties with expressions of comparison and time

genes and language

many genes and alleles affect comprehension and expression (spoken or written) but not receptive expression (heard or read)

fast mapping

speedy and sometimes imprecise way in which children learn new words by tentatively placing them in mental categories (language maps) according to their perceived meaning

over-regularization

the application of rules and grammar even when exceptions occurs, making the language seem more "regular" than it is; applying rules incorrectly (foots, tooths, mouses)

grammar

structures, techniques, and rules that communicate meaning; by age 2 children understand the basics- use plurals, tenses, and nominative objective, and possessive pronouns; some 3 year olds use articles correctly

preschools

Montessori schools; Reggio Emilia schools; teacher-directed schools; intervention programs

Montessori School

schools that offer early-childhood education which emphasizes careful work and tasks that each young chid can do; kids seek out learning tasks (child-centered)

Reggio Emilia

a program of early childhood education that encourages each child's creativity in a carefully designed setting; encourages mastery of skills earlier, long-term projects (artsy)

Teacher-directed programs

stress of academic; taught to entire group; use of praise and reinforcement; goal is to make children ready to learn

intervention programs

sesame street; head start

self-concept

a person's understanding of who he or she is, in relation to self-esteem, appearance, personality, and various traits

guilt

emerges with self-awareness

shame

comes from outside sources

initiative vs. guilt

children undertake new skills and activities and feel guilty when they do not succeed at them

intrinsic motivation

a drive, or reason to pursue a goal, that comes from inside a person, such as the desire to feel smart or competent

extrinsic motivation

a drive, or reason to pursue a goal, that arises from the need to have one's achievements rewarded from outside, perhaps by receiving material possessions or another person's esteem

psychopathology

an illness or disorder of the mind; lack of emotional regularization; DSM-5

emotional regularization

the ability to control when and how emotions are expressed; between ages 2-6 the emotional how spots of the limbic system connect to the prefrontal cortex; children can better control their reactions

social play and active play

types of play

solitary play

alone, unaware of children nearby

onlooker play

watching others play

parallel play

playing in a similar way, but not together

associative play

children interact, but play isn't mutual

cooperative play

children play together

rough-and-tumble play

most common, play face, helps development of the prefrontal cortex

drama and pretending

sociodramatic play, social interests, boys play good vs. evil, girls play domestic roles

expression of warmth, strategies for discipline, communication, expectations for maturity

parents differ on 4 dimensions

authoritarian

high behavioral standards; strict punishment for misconduct; and little communication from child to parent

permissive

high nurturance and communication but little discipline, guidance, or control; few demands on children

authoritative

parents set limits but listen to the child and are flexible; parents are guides, not friends

neglectful/uninvolved

parents are indifferent toward their children and unaware of what is going on in their children's lives

empathy

the ability to understand the emotions and concerns of another person; especially when they differ from one's own; increasing social experiences and decreasing egocentrism

sex differences

biological differences between males and females in organs, hormones, and body type

gender differences

differences in the roles and behaviors or males and females that are prescribed by the culture (girls play with girls; boys play with boys)