Chapter 5 Flashcards
Myelin
The fatty substance coating axons that speeds the transmission of nerve impulses from neuron to neuron.
Corpus callosum
A long, thick band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain and allows communication between
Lateralization
Literally, “sidedness,” referring to the specialization in certain functions by each side of the brain, with one side dominant for each activity. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa.
How are growth rates, body proportions, and motor skills related during early childhood?
All motor skills become easier as young children grow past the top-heavy proportions of infancy, and the overall growth results in relatively more height than body fat
What is changing in rates of early-childhood obesity and why?
At every age and nation in the twenty-first century, rates of overweight and obesity are increasing. This trend is evident in early childhood when current rates are compared to earlier decades
How is childhood obesity affected by family income?
In developed nations, because cheap food is available, obesity rates increase as income falls. There are many reasons for this, including that fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive, and that safe exercise is less available.
How does myelination advance skill development?
Myelination speeds impulses from one neuron to another, improving the rate of practice and thus increasing mastery of skills.
How is the corpus callosum crucial for learning?
Many learned skills require both sides of the brain. That makes the corpus collosum, which facilitates communication between the brain’s hemispheres, crucial.
What do impulse control and perseveration have in common?
Both require the prefrontal cortex, which fosters emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility.
Preoperational intelligence
Piaget’s term for cognitive development between the ages of about 2 and 6; it includes language and imagination (which involve symbolic thought), but logical, operational thinking is not yet possible at this stage.
Symbolic thought
A major accomplishment of preoperational intelligence that allows a child to think symbolically, including understanding that words can refer to things not seen and that an item, such as a flag, can symbolize something else (in this case, a country).
Animism
The belief that natural objects and phenomena are alive, moving around, and having sensations and abilities that are humanlike.
Centration
A characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child focuses (centers) on one idea, excluding all others.
Egocentrism
Piaget’s term for children’s tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective.
Focus on appearance
A characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child ignores all attributes that are not apparent.
Static reasoning
A characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child thinks that nothing changes. Whatever is now has always been and always will be.
Irreversibility
A characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child thinks that nothing can be undone. A thing cannot be restored to the way it was before a change occurred.
Conservation
The principle that the amount of a substance remains the same (i.e., is conserved) even when its appearance changes.
Mentor
Someone who teaches a person. Mentors teach by example and encouragement, as well as directly. Anyone can be a mentor: peers, relatives, neighbors, strangers, or teachers.
Zone of proximal development
Vygotsky’s term for the skills — cognitive as well as physical — that a person can exercise only with assistance, not yet independently.
Scaffolding
Temporary support that is tailored to a learner’s needs and abilities and aimed at helping the learner master the next task in a given learning process.
Overimitation
When a person imitates an action that is not a relevant part of the behavior to be learned. Overimitation is common among 2- to 6-year-olds when they imitate adult actions that are irrelevant and inefficient.
Private speech
The internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves (either silently or out loud).
Social mediation
Human interaction that expands and advances understanding, often through words that one person uses to explain something to another.
Theory of mind
A person’s theory of what other people might be thinking. In order to have a theory of mind, children must realize that other people are not necessarily thinking the same thoughts that they themselves are. That realization seldom occurs before age 4.
Executive function
The cognitive ability to organize and prioritize the many thoughts that arise from the various parts of the brain, allowing the person to anticipate, strategize, and plan behavior.
