Chapter 3 Flashcards
Rhythms
repetitive, cyclical patterns of behavior
- some immediately obvious
- some more subtle
State
one of the body rhythms is an infants state, the degree of awareness to both internal and external stimulation
- major body rhythm
- degree of awareness to external and internal stimulation
Affordances
The option that a given situation or stimulus provides
Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAs)
a measure designed to determine infants neurological and behavioral responses to their environment
Cerebral Cortex
the upper layer of the brain
Handedness
the preference of using one hand over the other
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep
the period of sleep that is found in older children and adults and is associated with dreaming
Puberty
the period of maturation during which the sexual organs mature
Primary Sex Characteristics
characteristics associated with the development of the organs and structures of the body that directly relate to reproduction
Secondary Sex Characteristics
The visible signs of sexual maturity that do not directly involve the sex organs
Menarche
the onset of menstruation
Senescence
the natural physical decline brought about by increasing age
Primary Aging
aging that involves universal and irreversible changes that, due to genetic programming occur as people get older
Secondary Aging
Changes in physical and cognitive functioning that are due to illness, health habits, and other individual differences, but that are not due to increased age itself and are not inevitable
Osteoporosis
a condition in which the bones become brittle, fragile, and thin, often brought about by a lack of calcium in the diet
Gerontologist
Specialists who study aging
Synaptic Pruning
the elimination of neurons as the result of nonuse or lack of simulation
Myelin
protective insulation that surrounds parts of neurons, increasing the speed of transmission of electrical impulses along the brain cells
Cerebral Cortex
the upper layer of the brain
Plasticity
the degree to which developing structure or behavior is modifiable due to experiences
Sensitive Period
a point in development when organisms are particularly susceptible to certain kinds of stimuli in their environments, but the absence of those stimuli does not always produce irreversible consequences
Lateralization
the process in which certain cognitive functions are located more in one hemisphere on the brain than in the other
Reflexes
unlearned, organized involuntary responses that occur automatically in the presence of certain stimuli
Norms
the average performance of a larger sample of children of a given age
Sensation
the physical stimulation of the sense organs
Perception
The sorting out, interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli involving the sense organs and brain
Multimodal Approach to Perception
the approach that considers how information that is collected by various individual sensory systems is integrated and coordinated
Visual Impairment
a special need that involves significant loss of sight
Auditory Impairment
a special need that involves the loss of hearing or some aspect of hearing
Speech Impairment
Speech that deviates so much from the speech of others that it calls attention to itself, interferes with communication, or produces maladjustment in the speaker
Stuttering
substantial disruption in the rhythm and fluency of speech; the most common speech impairment
Presbyopia
a nearly universal change in eyesight during middle adulthood that results in some loss of near vision
Glaucoma
a condition in which pressure in the fluid of the eye increases; either because the fluid cannot drain properly or because too much fluid is produced
Presbycusis
loss of the ability to hear sounds of high frequency
Peripheral Slowing Hypothesis
the theory that suggests that overall processing speed declines in the peripheral nervous system with increasing age
Generalized Slowing Hypothesis
the theory that processing in all parts of the nervous system, including the brain, is less efficient
Cephalocaudal Principle
growth follows a direction and pattern that begins with the head and upper body arts and then proceeds to the rest of the body
Proximodistal Principle
states that development proceeds from the center of the body outward
Principle of Hierarchical Integration
states that simple skills typically develop separately and independently
-later these simple skills are integrated into more complex ones
Principle of Independence of Systems
which suggests that different body systems grow at different rates
Autostimulation
active sleep in infants
- similar to REM sleep in adults
- researchers think it provides a means for brain to stimulate itself
Growing Body
- by age 2, 25 to 30 pounds and close to 36 inches tall
- by 6 years old, about 46 pounds and 46 inches tall
Gender Differences
-at age 2 differences are relatively small, during the preschool years boys start becoming taller and heavier, on average, than girls
National and Global Economic Differences
-profound differences on height and weight between children in economically developed countries and these in developing countries
Preschooler fat burns off
- less round + chubby more slender
- arms and legs lengthen
- head size more adult-like
Internal Physical Changes Occur
- muscle size increases, and children grow stronger
- bones become sturdier
- the sense organs continue to develop
Middle childhood body change
see how we grow
- height changes
- weight changes
- only time in life span when on average girls are taller than boys
- variation in height up to 6 inches
Consequences of Inadequate Nutrition
Undernutrition- is implicated in more than half of all child deaths worldwide
Undernourished children:
-lowered resistance to infection
-more likely to die from common childhood ailments and respiratory infections
-frequent illness that impacts growth
Puberty In Girls
- begins earlier for girls than boys
- start around age 11 or 12
- wide variations in menarche among individuals
- influenced by environment
Puberty In Boys
- Penis and Scrotum begin to grow at accelerated rate around age 12 and reach adult size about 3 or 4 years later
- enlargement of prostate gland and seminal vesicles
- sperm arch(ejaculation) around age 13
Ups and Downs of Midlife
- emotional reactions to physical changes depend in part on their self-concepts
- self-image is tied closely to one’s physical attribute
- but..middle aged adults generally report no less satisfaction with their body images than younger adults
Changes in Internal Function
- brain becomes smaller + lighter with age
- reduction of blood flow to the brain
- space between the skull and the brain doubles from age 20 to 70
- number of neurons, or brain cells, declines
Nervous System
brain and nerves that extend throughout the body
Neurons
are basic cells of nervous system
-have a cell body containing a nucleus, but unlike other cells, neurons can communicate with other cells
Dendrite
receive the messages
Axon
at the opposite end, the part of the neuron that carries messages destined for other neurons
Neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that travel across the small gaps between neurons
Synapses
the name for the small gaps hat chemical messengers travel across
Gender- related lateralization differences
Boys:
-greater lateralization of language in left hemisphere
-higher autism incidence
Girls:
-language is more evenly divided between two hemispheres
-verbal abilities emerge earlier in girls because girls receive greater encouragement for verbal skills than boys
Adolescence prefrontal cortex is biologically immature
ability to inhibit impulses is not fully developed
-rather than simply reacting to emotions such as anger or rage, an individual with a fully developed prefrontal cortex is able to inhibit the desire for action that stems from such emotions
more developed= not likely to get angry so easily
Rooting Reflex
neonates tendency to turn its head toward things that touch its cheek
Steeping Reflex
movement of legs when held upright with feet touching the floor
Swimming Reflex
infants tendency to paddle and kick in a sort of swimming motion when lying face down in a body of water
Grasping Reflex
infants fingers close around an object placed in its hands
Moro Reflex
activated when support for the neck and head is suddenly removed. The arms of the infant thrust outward and then appear to grasp onto something
Babinski Reflex
an infant fans out its toes in response to a stroke on the outside of its foot
Startle Reflex
an infant, in response to a sudden noise, flings out its arms, arches its back, and spreads its fingers
Eye-blink Reflex
rapid shutting and opening of eye on exposure to direct light
Gag Reflex
an infants reflex to clear its throat
Sucking Reflex
infants tendency to suck at things that touch its lips
Cataracts
cloudy or opaque areas of the lens of eye that interfere with passing light, frequently develops
-cataracts can be surgically removed
