8.03 Infancy and childhood Flashcards
inborn, naturally occurring, does not have to be taught
innate
an innate, involuntary behavior pattern that helps an infant to survive
reflex
five reflexes in infants
- grasping
- startle
- rooting
- stepping
- sucking
between birth and age three, the human brain __ in weight
triples
most early brain growth is due to the formation of new __
synapses
the loss of unused synapses, which are cleared to make way for functioning connections and cells
synaptic pruning
infants can __ the difference between their own mothers’ milk and that belonging to other women
smell
tastes preferred by infants
sweet and salty
this sense in great in newborns, except that their auditory canals often have fluid
auditory
least functional sense at birth
vision
cells that are not well developed in a newborn’s retina
cones –> poor color perception and fuzzy vision
cells that are reasonably well developed in a newborn’s retina
rods
most preferred visual stimulus for an infant
human face
experiment that proves infants possess depth perception
visual cliff
typical sequence of motor milestones
- raise head (2-4 months)
- roll over (2-5)
- sit up with support (4-6)
- sit up without support (6-7)
- crawl (7-8)
- walk (8-18)
Piaget’s term for a mental concept or framework
schema
Piaget’s term for a child’s process of trying to understand new things in terms of the schemes they already possessed
assimilation
Piaget’s term for the learning of new information that forces a child to alter his/her preexisting shema
accommodation
Piaget’s stages of cognitive development
- sensorimotor (birth - 2 years)
- preoperational (2-7 years)
- concrete operational (7-12)
- formal operational (12-adulthood)
sensorimotor stage
coordination of senses with motor response, sensory curiosity and learning, language for demands and cataloguing, object permanence develops
preoperational stage
symbolic thinking, use of proper syntax and grammar, expression of full concepts, imagination and intuition are strong, complex abstract thought is difficult, conservation develops, animism, egocentrism
concrete operational stage
conservation fully develops, reversible thinking is possible, rational thinking takes over, still difficult to handle abstract concepts
formal operational stage
theoretical, hypothetical, abstract, strategic thinking
an understanding that an object exists, even when it is not in sight
object permanence
the belief that anything that moves is alive, and even has human-like qualities
animism
the inability to see the world from another person’s perspective
egocentrism
a tendency to focus on just one feature of an object, rather than taking all of its features into account
centration
the idea that changing the appearance of something does not change its amount
conservation
the inability to mentally reverse actions
irreversibility
Russian psychologist who emphasized the importance of social and cultural interactions during development
Lev Vygotsky
process during which the more highly skilled adult helps the learner in the beginning of the learning process, then withdraws help as the learner improves
scaffolding
the difference between what a child could do alone, versus what she could do with the help of a teacher
zone of proximal development (ZPD)
five stages of language development
- cooing (2 months)
- babbling (6 months)
- one-word speech (1 year)
- telegraphic speech (18 months)
- whole sentences (preschool)
single words represent entire phrases
holophrases
making vowel-like sounds
cooing
a broad range of disorders, which cause problems in thinking, feeling, language, and social skills
autism spectrum disorder
a set of behavioral and emotional characteristics, usually hereditary and lasting into adulthood
temperament
babies of this temperament tend to follow regular schedules, adapt well to change, and are easily soothed
easy
babies of this temperament usually have irregular schedules, dislike change, are loud, and tend to be crabby
difficult
babies of this temperament tend to be quiet and slow to adapt to change, though they can gradually adapt to new people and situations
slow to warm up
the emotional bond that forms between an infant and his/her primary caregiver
attachment
researcher who measured and categorized the attachment of an infant to its caregiver
Mary Ainsworth
four attachment styles identified by Mary Ainsworth
secure, avoidant, ambivalent, disorganized-disoriented
attachment style: explorative, distress when caregiver leaves, happy when s/he returns, seeks comfort when scared
secure
attachment style: no distress when caregiver leaves, does not acknowledge caregiver’s return
avoidant
attachment style: distress when caregiver leaves, not comforted by his/her return
ambivalent
attachment style: no attaching behaviors, often appear confused or nervous in presence of caregiver
disorganized-disoriented
researcher who studied imprinting extensively by working with greylag geese
Konrad Lorenz
process that occurs when infant animals attached themselves to or follow the first animal/person they see after birth, a critical period in development
imprinting
researcher who demonstrated the significance of contact comfort in attachment, using surrogate mechanical mothers for rhesus monkeys
Harry Harlow
the idea that one is separate from his/her surroundings
self-concept
test that can be used to determine whether infants have any awareness of self
rouge test
psychoanalyst who came to believe that social interactions were more important in development than Freud’s emphasis on sex; he argued that development occurred in eight stages
Erik Erikson
a turning point in personality, according to Erikson
crisis
Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development
- trust versus mistrust (infant)
- autonomy versus shame and doubt (toddler)
- initiative versus guilt (preschool)
- industry versus inferiority (elementary school)
- identity versus role confusion (adolescence)
- intimacy versus isolation (early adulthood)
- generativity versus stagnation (middle adulthood)
- ego integrity versus despair (late adulthood)
Erikson’s stage: trust versus mistrust (infant)
Learn basic sense of trust, based on how one’s needs are met.
success: needs are met, develop a sense of trust in others
failure: needs not met, develop a sense of mistrust in others
Erikson’s stage: autonomy versus shame and doubt (toddler)
Learn that one can control one’s own actions.
success: develop independence
failure: self-doubt and shame
Erikson’s stage: initiative versus guilt (preschool)
Learn to take responsibility for one’s own behavior, develop self-control.
success: feel capable, develop sense of initiative
failure: feel irresponsible, anxious, develop sense of guilt
Erikson’s stage: industry versus inferiority (5-12 years)
Learn new skills academically and socially, compare oneself to others to measure success.
success: feeling of competence
failure: sense of inferiority in comparison to others
Erikson’s stage:
identity versus role confusion (adolescence)
decide who one is, what one believes, what one wants to become as an adult
success: able to define one’s own values, goals and beliefs
failure: remain confused about one’s identity and might isolate themselves or “copy” others
Erikson’s stage:
intimacy versus isolation (early adulthood)
find a person with whom one can share their identity in an intimate relationship
success: find someone and share values in an intimate relationship
failure: isolation or loneliness
Erikson’s stage:
generativity versus stagnation (middle adulthood)
find a creative outlet, be productive and nurture the next generation
success: productivity and creativity
failure: stagnation, self-centeredness
Erikson’s stage: ego integrity versus despair (late adulthood)
come to terms with the end of life, reach a sense of acceptance of life as it has been
success: able to let go of regrets, sense of completion
failure: cannot let go of regrets, see death as coming too soon
