Chapter 8.6-8.8 Flashcards
Preferential Looking
the longer a baby looks at stimulus the more it prefers it
Habituation
infants stop looking at something if it doesn’t change
Innate
existing since birth
Reflexes
involuntary behavior patterns of babies
Synaptic Pruning
unused dendrites, axon terminals, and synaptic connections are cleared away to make space for increased brain growth
Order of sensory development
touch, smell, taste, hearing, and vision (eyes are very complex organs)
Cognitive Development
the development of thinking, problem-solving, and memory
Piaget’s Theory (explanation)
children form schemas as they experience new situations and events
Schema
a mental framework that guides organization and interpretation of information
Assimilation
trying to understand in terms of already existing schema
Accomodation
altering or adjusting old schema to understand new situations
Piaget’s 4 Stages of Cognitive Development (emphasis, stages, and criticism)
focusing on a child’s interaction with objects
1) Sensorimotor Stage
2) Preoperational Stage
criticized for stages not being so rigid and timeline-defined
Sensorimotor Stage (description)
0-2 years old, infant uses its senses and motor abilities to interact with objects in the environment
Preoperational Stage (description and features)
2-7 years old, learning to use language as a means of exploring the world
- Pretending and make-believe, not capable of logical thought, take seen reality as given,
5 traits of the Preoperational Stage
1) Animism: belief that everything is alive
2) Egocentrism: child’s inability to see the world through anyone else’s eyes
3) Centration: tendency of a child to focus on one feature of an object while ignoring other relevant features
4) Conservation: the ability to understand that changing the appearance of an object does not change its nature
5) Irreversability: inability of a child to reverse an action
Concrete Operations Stage
7-12 years olds, child becomes capable of logical thinking but can’t think abstractly
-kids come to rational conclusions about their fantasies and think they understand the world better than anyone else
Abstract concepts
don’t have a physical, concrete, or touchable reality
Formal Operations Stage
12-adulthood, adolescent becomes capable of abstract thought
- not all adults achieve this and instead live very grounded lives, understanding multiple POVs, reevaluation
Vygotsky’s Theory
emphasizes interaction between children and more developed children/adults (social and cultural interaction)
Scaffolding
skilled learner providing building steps to a less skilled learner
Zone of Proximal Development
Difference between what a child can do alone vs. what a child can do with the help of a teacher (way to measure intelligence)
Autism Spectrum Disorder
a neurodevelopmental disorder with broad causes that leads to problems in thinking, feeling, language, and social skills
Theory of Mind
ability to understand other people’s belief, intentions, and desires (autistic people struggle with this)
Temperament
the enduring characteristics someone is born with (personality
3 Basic Infant Temperaments (temperaments and takeaway)
1) Easy: regular in schedule, happy and easily soothed
2) Difficult: irregular and resistant to change, loud and crabby
3) Slow to warm up: less difficult but are slow to adapt to change
Temperament’s impact is dependent on goodness of fit to parent’s personalities
Attachment
emotional bond between an infant and primary caregiver
Ainesworth’s Attachment Styles (explanation, 4 styles, and takeaway)
Ainesworth ran an experiment where children were allowed to explore a room and interact with a stranger
1) Secure: willing to explore, easily soothed
2) Avoidant: not concerned about mother or stranger
3) Ambivalent: clinging, upset with stranger and mixed feelings toward mother
4) Disorganized/Disoriented: unsure how to react to mother
Mother’s also acted variably, likely dictating or influencing children’s behavior
Self-Concept
image of oneself that develops based off of interactions with other people
Erikson’s Theory (explanation)
Development happens in 8 stages based off of emotional crises (turning points) that must be handled properly
Erikson’s 8 Stages
1) Infant Development: Trust vs. Mistrust (infant learns trust depending on how their basic needs are met)
2) Toddler: Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt (toddlers begin to understand that they can control their basic actions)
3) Preschool: Initiative vs. Guilt (children learn to take responsibility for their own behavior and self-control)
4) Elementary School: Industry vs. Inferiority (learn new skills and compare themselves to successes and failures)
5) Adolescence: Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescents try to define who they are and want to be as adults)
6) Early Adulthood: Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adults face the task of finding someone share their identity with)
7) Middle Adulthood: Generativity vs. Stagnation (nurture the next generation or fail to look beyond personal needs)
8) Late Adulthood: Integrity vs. Despair (reaching a sense of wholeness and acceptance of how life has been)
