Cognitive Development Overview

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts in cognitive development, including teratogens, theories by Piaget, and methods of learning and perception in infants.

Teratogen

An external agent causing harm to a fetus.

Sensitive periods

Specific time frames in prenatal development when a fetus is particularly susceptible to harm from teratogens.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD)

A condition that results from alcohol consumption during pregnancy; characterized by physical and cognitive impairments.

Developmental resilience

The ability of an individual to adapt positively despite challenges and adversity.

Piaget's Theory

A theory of cognitive development suggesting that children actively construct their understanding and knowledge of the world.

Assimilation

The process of integrating new information into existing schemas without changing the schema.

Accommodation

The process of altering existing schemas or creating new ones to incorporate new information.

Information Processing Theory

A framework that describes how children process, store, and retrieve information, emphasizing limited cognitive capacities.

Core Knowledge Theory

The idea that humans are endowed with specialized knowledge that aids in understanding the world, shaped by evolution.

Dynamic Systems Theory

A theory that emphasizes the interplay of various systems in development and the variable nature of progress across different domains.

Sociocultural Theories

Theories that highlight the role of social interactions and cultural contexts in shaping learning and cognitive development.

Object permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen.

Over-imitation

The tendency of children to imitate actions even when they know the actions are irrelevant.

Selectivity in imitation

The ability of infants to choose whom they imitate based on perceived competence or confidence.

Metacognition

The awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

Intermodal perception

The ability to integrate information from multiple sensory modalities.

Attachment Theory

A theory that describes the dynamics of long-term interpersonal relationships between humans, emphasizing the bond between a child and caregiver.

Secure Attachment

A type of attachment characterized by trust and a sense of safety in relationships, often resulting from responsive caregiving.

Insecure Attachment

A type of attachment that results from inconsistent or unresponsive caregiving, leading to anxiety or avoidance in relationships.

Cognitive Development

The process through which children acquire the ability to think, understand, and interact with the world.

Social Learning Theory

The theory that behavior is learned from the environment through the process of observational learning, imitation, and modeling.

Behaviorism

A theory of learning that focuses solely on observable behaviors and disregards mental activities, proposing that all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment.