Chapter 6 Flashcards
(27 cards)
The average height and weight of a newborn is…
7 pounds and 20 inches long
birth weight doubles by the fourth month and triples by year 1
Corpus Collosum
Fiber Connections
Why are babies clumsy?
They have no myelin (fat)
Experience Expectant
expecting from environment to wire
- visual cortex expecting light and will wire
-Language, sound, smell
Experience Dependent
Additional growth, specific experiences
-child takes music lesson, growth where someone does not
Neuroconstructivist View
biological processes and environmental conditions influence the brains development
Plasticity
ability to reorganize neural pathways as a result of experience
Critical Period
rapid development –> does not happen, severe damage
What did scientists learn from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project
kids adopted out before 6 months of age showed dramatic cognitical + physical gains. Kids adopted out after 6 months had intellectual deficits (chronic stress did damage to the brain)
Motor Development
motor systems develpo through a complex interaction among development of the neurons system, perception experiences, opportunities within the environment, and the infants motivation to reach goal
Gross motor skills
large muscle groups
Fine motor skills
small muscle groups/finely tuned movements
-finger dexterity
-grasping (pick something up –> experience expectant)
Sensation
interaction between sensory organs within the brain
Perception
interpretation of what happened
Touch
infants are very responsive to touch, develops in the womb, important for developing bonds with others and exploring
Oxytocin
feel good hormone
Pain
infants may feel intense
Smell
preference of pleasant odors in utero, can recognize mothers smell but have to be exposed to it
Taste
Sweet tooth (breast milk is fat + sugar)
Visual Preferences
measure length of time babies look at something
Habituation
infants look longer at the novel stimulus, look less at familiar stimuli)
Hearing
functional before birth, recognition of voices and language can occur in womb. Preference for their mother and voices in higher range
The Cat in the Hat Study
Motherese –> sing songy, high pitch sounds make babies pay attention to that
