5.4-5.8 Flashcards
conditioning
According to Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning, the consequences of behavior produce changes in the probability of
the behavior’s occurrence
so the infant’s behavior is followed by a reward there is a probability that the behavior will recure
attention
is the focus of mental resources on selecting information
+++sustained attention refers to focused attention
orienting/investigating process
involves directing attention to potentially important locations in the environment and recognizing the objects and their features
habituation
decreased responsiveness to a stimulus after
repeated presentations of the stimulus
dishabituation
the increase in responsiveness after a change in stimulation
joint attention
The process occurs when individuals focus on the same object and are able to track another’s behavior, one individual directs another’s attention, and reciprocal interaction takes place.
++by the end of the first year, joint attention is frequently observed
++ it increases the infant’s ability to learn from others
memory
involves the retention of information over time
implicit memory
a memory without conscious recollection
explicit memory
conscious remembering of facts and experiences.
+++the maturation if the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex makes especially in the frontal lobe makes the explicit memory possible
infantile or childhood amnesia
is the inability to remember much if anything from our first three years of life
imitation
Meltzoff sees infants’ imitative ability as biologically based but not hardwired
++imitation involves flexibility and adaptability
deferred imitation
occurs after a delay of hours or days
+Piaget held this doesn’t occur until about 18 months of age
+Meltzoff finds it occurs much earlier
concepts
are a cognitive grouping of similar objects/events/people or idea
++Mandler argues that’s best described as perceptual categorization rather than conceptual
