Neural and Psychological Development Across the Life Span

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary related to neural and psychological development across the life span, including concepts of cognitive development, types of memory, and behavioral learning theories.

Neuron proliferation

The rapid increase of neurons, occurring at up to 750,000 new neurons per minute during the middle trimester of prenatal development.

Limbic system

A brain region that supports emotional regulation and survival functions such as breathing.

Critical period

A specific window of time during which certain experiences or stimuli are essential for normal development; missing it can lead to developmental delays.

Rooting Reflex

An innate reflex in newborns that causes them to turn towards a touching stimulus on the cheek, opening their mouth.

Attachment

The emotional bond that forms between an infant and caregiver, leading to a desire for closeness and distress during separation.

Secure attachment

A type of attachment style where an infant is distressed when the caregiver leaves but is comforted upon their return.

Schemas

Mental frameworks that organize experiences and help children understand the world, as proposed by Jean Piaget.

Assimilation

The process of fitting new experiences into existing schemas.

Operant conditioning

A learning process where behavior is influenced by reinforcement or punishment.

Classical conditioning

Learning to associate a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response.

Automatic processing

The encoding of information without conscious effort, such as recognizing familiar faces.

Explicit memory

Conscious memories of facts and personal experiences that can be declared.

Implicit memory

Unconscious memories formed without conscious awareness, such as skills and conditioned responses.

Sensory memory

The initial stage of memory that briefly holds sensory information from the environment.

Synaptic pruning

The process of eliminating excess synapses to optimize neural efficiency, occurring particularly during adolescence.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions different from one's own.

Childhood egocentrism

An early developmental stage where children are unable to differentiate their perspective from those of others.

Decentration

The cognitive ability to consider multiple aspects of a situation, which develops during the concrete operational stage.

Delayed gratification

The ability to resist an immediate reward in favor of a later, more substantial reward.

Implicit learning

Learning that occurs without conscious awareness, often through experience or exposure.