developmenatl 1.docx

Social Communication

The process of exchanging information, feelings, and emotions between individuals through verbal and non-verbal means.

Attachment

The emotional bond that forms between individuals, starting with parents and children and extending to other relationships like romantic partners and offspring.

Social Cognition

The ability to understand and interpret the thoughts, intentions, and emotions of others.

Self-awareness

The understanding and realization that one is a distinct individual separate from others, including associated developments.

Developmental Psychology

The study of how individuals grow, change, and develop physically, cognitively, and socially over their lifespan.

Pain Signaling

Crying due to pain may not always be about communicating pain to others but rather a natural way of experiencing hurt.

Emotional Responses

Emotional responses like crying may not always be aimed at seeking communication but can be a natural way of experiencing emotions.

Infant Conversation

Adults may scaffold conversations with infants, allowing for a natural exchange where the adult supports the interaction.

Neonatal Imitation

Newborns can imitate behaviors, such as sticking out their tongue, as observed in classic studies from the 70s and 80s.

Provocation

Initiations by infants in imitation studies can be seen as communicative overtures, suggesting an innate readiness to communicate.

Heart Rate Patterns

Different heart rate patterns during imitation and provocation behaviors suggest underlying physiological differences in infants' responses.

Novel Movements

Infants can intentionally imitate novel movements, indicating a level of intentional or conscious communication.

Baseline Measures

Control measures are essential in imitation experiments to distinguish intentional imitation from random movements.

Controversy

The interpretation of imitation as part of a communicative system is debated in developmental psychology, with recent studies challenging the existence of imitation.

Replication Issues

Recent research questions the replicability of imitation studies, highlighting the need for robust controls in experimental designs.

Anecdotal Evidence

Evidence based on personal accounts rather than systematic research.

Scientific Conditions

Controlled settings and procedures used to test hypotheses and gather data objectively.

Baseline Condition

The standard condition used for comparison in an experiment to determine the effects of the independent variable.

Automatic Elicitor

A stimulus that triggers a reflex action without conscious thought.

Still-Face Paradigm

An experimental method used to study infant social development by observing infants' reactions to disruptions in communication with caregivers.

Contingency

The relationship between two events where one event depends on the other.

Proto-Conversations

Early interactions between infants and caregivers that resemble rudimentary conversations.

Emotional Contagion

The phenomenon where individuals mimic and synchronize their emotions with those of others.

Reciprocal Exchange

A mutual give-and-take interaction between individuals.

Postnatal Depression

A type of depression that affects parents after the birth of a child, potentially impacting parent-child interactions.

Social Learning

The concept that behavior is influenced by observing and imitating others in a social context, rather than being solely determined by innate factors.

Still Face Response

A phenomenon where an individual, typically an infant, displays a lack of responsiveness, such as reduced smiling and gaze aversion, when faced with a non-responsive interaction partner.

Referential Communication

A form of communication involving intentional signaling to draw attention to specific objects or events in the environment, often through gestures like pointing and gaze alternation.

Gaze Alternation

The act of shifting visual attention between an object or event and a communication partner, often used in conjunction with pointing to enhance the communicative intent.

Developmental Appropriateness

The consideration of whether a behavior or skill is suitable or expected for an individual's age and stage of development, particularly relevant when assessing infants' abilities in communication tasks.

Proto-declarative point

A gesture made by an infant to draw someone's attention to something without the intention of obtaining the object.

Proto-imperative point

A gesture made by an infant to indicate a desire to obtain an object or have an action performed.

Joint attention

When individuals focus on the same reference point, which is crucial for successful communication.

Reinforcement learning

A process where behavior is strengthened by rewards or punishments, influencing the likelihood of its recurrence.

Referential communication

Communication where individuals share attention and intentions regarding specific references.

Barrier study

An experimental paradigm where a barrier hides the referent, testing if infants follow an adult's gaze to locate the hidden object.

Violation of expectation experiment

A study where infants' reactions to unexpected events are measured, indicating their understanding of the situation.

Line of Sight

The actual direction in which someone is looking, beyond just head movement.

Intent

The conscious desire or purpose to achieve a specific goal or outcome.

Referential Communication

Communication that involves referring to objects or events in the environment.

Social Referencing

The act of looking to others for guidance or information in uncertain situations.

Conscious Communication

Communication that involves intentional and aware interaction between individuals.

Diatic Interaction

An interaction between two individuals without external reference beyond themselves.

Proactive Communication

Communication that involves taking initiative or leading in a conversation or interaction.

Emotion Processing

The cognitive understanding and interpretation of emotions in oneself and others.