Chapter 3 Flashcards
rhythms
repetitive, cyclical patterns of behavior
state
degree of awareness an infant displays to both internal and external stimulation
rapid eye movement or REM, sleep
the period of sleep that is found in older children and adults and is associated with dreaming
menarche
the onset of menstruation
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
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
gerontologists
specialists who study aging
synaptic pruning
the elimination of neurons as the result of nonuse or lack of stimulation
myelin
protective insulation that surrounds parts of the neurons, increasing the speed of transmission of electrical impulses along brain cells
cerebral cortex
the upper layer of the brain
plasticity
the degree to which a developing structure of behavior is modifiable due to experience
sensitive period
a point of 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 of the brain than the other
reflexes
unlearned, organized involuntary responses that occur automatically in the presence of certain stimuli
norms
the average performance of a large sample of children of a given age
Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS)
a measure designed to determine infants’ neurological and behavioral responses to their environment
handedness
the preference of using one hand over the other
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
special need the involves significant loss of sight
auditory impairment
a special need that involves the loss of hearing or some aspect of hearing
speech impairment
sppech 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 in 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 PNS with increasing age
generalized slowing hypothesis
the theory that processing in all parts of the nervous system, including the brain, is less efficient
adolescence
a period of rapid physical growth, including the major changes associated with puberty
autostimulation
when the brain stimulates itself – researchers believe the REM cycle is for this
neurons
basic cells of the nervous system – consists of dendrite, axon, cell body, etc.
dendrites
cluster of fibers at one end of neuron that receive messages from other cells
axons
opposite end of neuron to dendrite, this part of neuron carries messages destined for other neurons
neurotransmitters
chemical messangers between neurons
synapses
smalls gaps between neurons
corpus callosum
a bundle of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain
autism
the profound developmental disability that produces language deficits and great difficulty in interacting with others
prefrontal cortex
allows people to think, evaluate and make complex judgements in a uniquely human way, provides impulse control
sound localization
allows us to pinpoint the direction in which a sound in emerging
affordances
the option that a given situation or stimulus provides
visual acuity
the ability to discern the fine spatial detail in both close and distant objects
macula
a yellowish area near the retina at which visual perception is most acute
