Development Flashcards
Autonomic functions
Involuntary bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate
Brain stem
The part of brain that controls autonomic functions
Cerebellum
A small, wrinkled structure at the back of the brain which coordinates motor movement, dexterity and balance, among other things
Cognition
The mental processes involved in gaining knowledge. Including thinking, planning and problem solving.
Cortex
The outer layer of the brain where higher cognitive functions take place, e.g. speech
Neuron
A specialised nerve cell which generates and transmits an electrical impulse
Sensory processing
The brain receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioural responses
Synapse
The small gap between the dendrite of one neuron and the receptor site of the next one, which allows signals to pass between them
Thalamus
The part of the brain that passes information from the sense organs to the cortex
Nature
The idea that our characteristics and behaviour are inherited
Nurture
The idea that our characteristics and behaviour are influenced by our environment
Accomodation
Changing schema, or developing a new schema to cope with a new situation
Assimilation
Adding new information to an existing schema
Cognitive development
The changes that take place over time in a person’s thinking and intellect
Concrete operational
The ability to apply logic to physical (concrete) objects to solve problems
Conservation
Knowing that the amount of something stays the same, even though its appearance may change
Egocentric
Not being able to see things from another person’s point of view
Pre-operational
Before logic - being unable to apply reason to solve problems
Schema
A cognitive model of people, objects, or situations; based on previous information and experiences which helps us to percieve, organise, and understand new information
Sensorimotor
Learning through the senses and by physical (motor) activities
Formal operational
The ability to apply logic in an abstract (non-physical) way to solve problems, for example mental calculation
Mindset Theory of Learning
A theory that describes how students can achieve success in their learning
Fixed mindset
The belief that ability is genetic and unchanging
Growth mindset
The belief comes from hard work and can be increases
Praise
An expression of approval
Self-efficiacy
The belief in your own ability to succeed at a task
Learning styles
The different ways that a person can process information
Verbaliser
Someone who processes information by speaking and listening (auditory processing)
Visualiser
Someone who processes information by looking at it (visula processing)
