Cognitive: Genetics, Newborns, & Early Childhood

Question 1

Genotype

Answer 1

the sum total of all the genes a person inherit

Question 2

Phenotype

Answer 2

refers to the features that are actually expressed.

Ex. hair color, eye color, baldness, etc.

Question 3

Dominant VS Recessive Genes

Answer 3

dominant gene: express themselves in the phenotype, even when paired with a different version of the gene.
–incomplete dominance: when the dominant gene
does not completely suppress the recessive gene

recessive gene: express themselves only when paired with a similar version gene

Question 4

Carriers

Answer 4

those who inherit only one recessive gene of a disorder and thus do not inherit the disorder; to inherit a disorder, a person must receive the recessive gene from both parents

Question 5

Polygenic

Answer 5

refers to the fact that most characteristics are the result of several genes.

Question 6

Meiosis VS Mitosis

Answer 6

meiosis: the process whereby the gamete’s chromosomes duplicate and then divide twice, resulting in four cells containing only half the genetic material of the original gamete
mitosis: the process in which the cell’s nucleus makes an exact copy of all the chromosomes and splits into two new cells

Question 7

Sex-linked Chromosomal Abnormality

Answer 7

when the abnormality is on the 23rd pair (sex chromosomes). Two of the more common sex-linked chromosomal disorders are Turner syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome.

Question 8

Chromosomal Abnormality

Answer 8

occurs when a child inherits too many or too few chromosomes. The most common cause of chromosomal abnormalities is the age of the mother.

One of the most common chromosomal abnormalities is on pair 21. Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome, occurs when there are three rather than two 21st chromosomes.

Question 9

Neurogenesis

Answer 9

the formation of neurons

Question 10

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

Answer 10

an umbrella term for the range of effects that can occur due to alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The most severe form of FASD is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Children with FAS share certain physical features such as flattened noses, small eye holes, and small heads. Cognitively, these children may have poor judgment, poor impulse control, higher rates of ADHD, learning issues, and lower IQ scores.

Question 11

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Answer 11

a condition in which a baby becomes addicted to a drug before birth, typically as a result of the mother using the addictive substance during pregnancy, and subsequently goes through drug withdrawal after birth.

Question 12

Prenatal Risk Factors (Teratogen Damage)

Answer 12

• *Timing of the exposure: Structures in the body are vulnerable to damage when they are forming.
• *Amount of exposure: Some substances are not harmful unless the amounts reach a certain level.
• *Number of teratogens: Fetuses exposed to multiple teratogens typically have more problems.
• *Genetics: Genetic make-up plays a role on the teratogen’s impact
• *Being male or female: Males are more likely to experience damage due to teratogens than are females. It is believed that the Y chromosome, which contains fewer genes than the X, may have an impact.

Question 13

Synaptogenesis

Answer 13

the formation of connections between neurons

Question 14

Synaptic Pruning

Answer 14

period where neural connections are reduced, making those used much stronger

Question 15

Neuroplasticity

Answer 15

the brain’s ability to change, both physically and chemically, to enhance its adaptability to environmental change and compensate for injury

Question 16

Lateralization

Answer 16

process in which different functions become localized primarily on one side of the brain

Question 17

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Answer 17

when the death of a healthy infant occurs suddenly and unexpectedly, and medical and forensic investigation findings are inconclusive. SIDS is the leading cause of death in infants 1 to 12 months old.

Question 18

Palmar Grasp

Answer 18

the use of the fingers and palm, but no thumbs

Question 19

Pincer Grasp

Answer 19

ability to grasp an object using the forefinger and thumb at about 9 months of age. This ability greatly enhances the ability to control and manipulate an object

Question 20

Schemas

Answer 20

framework for organizing information!

• -assimilation: fitting the new information into an existing schema
• -accommodation: expanding the framework of knowledge to accommodate the new situation

Question 21

Object Permanence

Answer 21

the understanding that even if something is out of sight, it still exists. Around the same time children develop object permanence, they also begin to exhibit stranger anxiety, which is a fear of unfamiliar people.

Question 22

Infantile Amnesia

Answer 22

the inability to recall memories from the first few years of life. The biological perspective suggests that infantile amnesia is due to the immaturity of the infant brain, especially those areas that are crucial to the formation of autobiographical memory, such as the hippocampus

Question 23

Phoneme

Answer 23

the smallest unit of sound that makes a meaningful difference in a language. For example, the word “bit” has three phonemes.
A morpheme is a string of one or more phonemes that makes up the smallest units of meaning in a language.

Question 24

Syntax

Answer 24

the set of rules of a language by which sentences are constructed

Question 25

Cooing

Answer 25

syllable combination of a consonant and a vowel sound (“coo” or “ba”). Cooing serves as practice for vocalization.

Question 26

Holophrasic Speech

Answer 26

use of a single word to form a whole sentence. Ex. “ju” for the word “juice” and use this sound when referring to a bottle

Question 27

Conservation

Answer 27

the ability to recognize that moving or rearranging matter does not change the quantity

Question 28

Animism

Answer 28

attributing lifelike qualities to objects. Young children do seem to think that objects that move may be alive, but after age three, they seldom refer to objects as being alive.

Question 29

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Answer 29

occurs when children can almost perform a task but not quite on their own without assistance
–scaffolding: the temporary support that parents or teachers give a child to do a task