Early Childhood Flashcards
Enuresis
repeated urination in clothing or in bed
Handedness
preference for using a particular hand
Preoperational Stage
in Piaget’s theory, the second major stage of cognitive development, in which children become more sophisticated in their use of symbolic thought but are not yet able to use logic
Symbolic Function
Piaget’s term for ability to use mental representations (words,numbers, or images) to which a child has attached meaning
Pretend Play
play involving imaginary people or situations (fantasy play, dramatic play, or imaginary play)
Transduction
in Piaget’s terminology, preoperational child’s tendency to mentally link particular experiences, whether or not there is logically a causal relationship
Animism
tendency to attribute life to objects that are not alive
Centration
in Piaget’s theory, tendency of preoperational children to focus on one aspect of a situation and neglect others
Decenter
in Piaget’s terminology, to think simultaneously about several aspects of a situation
Conservation
Piaget’s term for awareness that two objects that are equal according to a certain measure remain equal in the face of perceptual alteration so long as nothing has been added to or taken away from either object
Irreversibility
Piaget’s term for a preoperational child’s failure to understand that an operation can go in two or more directions
Theory Of Mind
awareness and understanding of mental process
Encoding
process by which information is prepared for long-term storage and later retrieval
Storage
retention of information in memory for future use
Retrieval
process by which information is accessed or recalled from memory storage
Sensory Memory
initial, brief, temporary storage of sensory information
Executive Function
conscious control of thoughts, emotions, and actions to accomplish goals or solve
Long-Term Memory
storage of virtually unlimited capacity that holds information for long periods
Central Executive
in Baddeley’s model, element of working memory that controls the processing of information
Recognition
ability to identify a previously encountered stimulus
Recall
ability to reproduce material from memory
Generic Memory
memory that produces scripts of familiar routines to guide behavior
Script
general remembered outline of a familiar, repeated event, used to guide behavior
Episodic Memory
long-term memory of specific experiences or events, linked to time and place
Autobiographical Memory
a type of episodic memory of distinctive experiences that form a person’s life history
Social Interaction Model
model, based on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, that proposes that children construct autobiographical memories through conservation with adults shared events
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
individual intelligence test for ages 2 and up, used to measure knowledge, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial processing, and working memory
Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Revised (WPPSI-III)
individual intelligence test for children ages 2 and a half to seven that yields verbal and performance scores as well as a combined score
Fast Mapping
Process by which a child absorbs the meaning of a new word after hearing it once or twice in conversation
Pragmatics
practical knowledge needed to use language for communicative purposes
Social Speech
speech intended to be understood by a listener
Private Speech
talking aloud to oneself with no intent to communicate with others
Emergent Literacy
preschooler’s development of skills, knowledge, and attitudes that underlie reading and writing
Universal Preschool
a national system for early care and education that makes access to preschool similar to kindergarten by using the public schools
Self-Definition
cluster of characteristics used to describe oneself
Single Representations
in neo-Piagetian terminology, first stage in development of self-definition in which children describe themselves in terms of individual, unconnected characteristics and in all-or-nothing terms
Real Self
self one actually is
Ideal Self
self one would like to be
Representational Mappings
in neo-Piagetian terminology, second stage in development of self-definition, in which a child makes logical connections between aspects of the self but still sees these characteristics in all-or-nothing terms
Self-Esteem
judgement a person makes about his or her self-worth
Initiative Versus Gift
Erikson’s third stage in psychosocial development, in which children balance the urge pursue goals with moral reservations that may prevent carrying them out
Gender Identity
awareness, developed in early childhood, that one is male or female
Gender Roles
behaviors, interests, attitudes, skills, and traits that a culture considers appropriate for each sex
Gender Stereotypes
preconceived generalizations about male or female role behavior
Theory of Sexual Selection
Darwinian theory, which holds that selection of sexual partners is influenced by the differing reproductive pressures that early men and women confronted in the struggle for the survival of the species
Identification
in Freudian theory, process by which a young child adopts characteristics, beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors of the parent of the same sex
Gender Constancy
awareness that one will always be male or female (sex-category constancy)
Gender-Schema Theory
theory that children socialize themselves in their gender roles by developing a mentally organized network of information about what it means to be male or female in a particular culture
Social Cognitive Theory
Albert Bandura’s expansion of social learning theory; holds that children learn gender roles through socialization
Functional Play
lowest cognitive level of play, involving repetitive muscular movements
Constructive Play
second cognitive level of play, involving use of objects or materials to make something
Dramatic Play
play involving imaginary people or situations
Formal Games With Rules
organized games with known procedures and penalties
Gender Segregation
tendency to select playmates of one’s own gender
Discpline
methods of molding children’s character and of teaching them to exercise self-control and engage in acceptable behavior
Psychological Aggression
verbal attack that may result in psychological harm
Corporal Punishment
use of physical force with the intention of causing pain but not injury so as to correct or control behavior
Inductive Techniques
disciplinary techniques designed to induce desirable behavior by appealing to a child’s sense of reason and fairness
Power Assertion
disciplinary strategy designed to discourage undesirable behavior through physical or verbal enforcement of parental control
Withdrawal of Love
disciplinary strategy that involves ignoring, isolating,or showing dislike for a child
Authoritarian Parenting
parenting style emphasizing control and obedience
Permissive Parenting
parenting style emphasizing self-expression and self-regulation
Authoritative Parenting
parenting style blending warmth and respect for a child’s individuality with an effort to instill social values
Altruism
motivation to help others without expectation of reward
Prosocial Behavior
any voluntary behavior intended to help others
Instrumental Aggression
aggressive behavior used as a means of achieving a goal
Overt (Direct) Aggression
aggression that is openly directed at its target
Relational (Indirect or Social) Aggression
aggression aimed at damaging or interfering with another person’s relationships, reputation, or psychological well-being
