Chapter 4: Infancy and Childhood (Physical) Flashcards
According to the __________ trend, the head develops more rapidly than the lower part of the body during the prenatal period.
cephalocaudal
Which statement is consistent with the proximodistal trend of body growth?
During childhood, the arms and legs grow somewhat ahead of the hands and feet.
During infancy, __________. These sex differences will __________ during adolescence.
girls are slightly shorter and lighter than boys; be greatly magnified
Which statement about individual and group differences in physical growth is true?
Children of the same age differ in rate of physical growth.
store and transmit information
Neurons
tiny gaps between neighboring neurons
Synapses
The process of removing the irrelevant synapses that are seldom stimulated is a process called __________.
synaptic pruning
Coating the neural fibers with an insulating fatty sheath during the process of __________ improves the efficiency of message transfer.
myelination
Which statement about brain plasticity is true?
Many areas of a highly plastic cerebral cortex are not yet committed to specific functions.
In the study of Romanian orphans adopted into British homes, children adopted __________ attained the highest mental test scores in childhood and adolescence.
before 6 months
Experience-dependent brain growth __________.
occurs throughout our lives
In a study of over 10,000 mothers in Western and Asian nations, consistently engaging in bedtime routines was associated with __________.
waking less often
Which statement about cosleeping is true?
Babies who sleep with their parents breastfeed three times longer than infants who sleep alone.
Breastfeeding for just a few weeks __________.
offers some protection against respiratory and intestinal infections
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advises exclusive breastfeeding for the first __________ and inclusion of breast milk in the baby’s diet until at least __________.
6 months; 1 year
Marasmus __________.
usually appears in the first year of life
When the diets of severely malnourished children improve, they __________.
tend to gain excessive weight
Gross-motor development has to do with control over __________.
actions that help infants get around in the environment
Which of the following is an example of a fine-motor skill?
grasping
Motor mastery __________.
involves intense practice
Of all motor skills, __________ may play the greatest role in infant cognitive development
reaching
Which image would newborn Alex most likely prefer to look at?
black-and-white checkerboard with a few large squares
A general principle, called __________, explains early pattern preferences.
contrast sensitivity
Which of the following is true about brain plasticity?
A young brain can reorganize in a way that the mature brain cannot.
