Infancy and Childhood Flashcards
what is maturation?
biological growth processes that enable growth which is influenced by experiences
what is the difference between nature vs nurture?
Nature has to do with genetics Nurture has to do with socialization
what is the difference between continuity vs discontinuity?
Continuity are changes in small steps
Discontinuity is sudden transformations
what is prenatal development?
the point at which a fetus can survive outside the uterus
what are five examples of prenatal development?
Fertilization
Implantation
Hormone levels increase
The neural tube closes
Baby’s head develops
what are five more examples of prenatal development?
Baby’s nose forms
Baby’s toes appear
Baby’s elbows bend
Baby’s genitals develop
Baby’s fingernails grow
what is a critical period?
an optimal period early in life when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development
Describe maturation and infant memory
The earliest age of conscious memory is around 3 1/2 years old. A 5-year-old has a sense of self and increased long-term memory.
what is cognitive development?
the driving forces behind intellectual development and environmental experiences
what is cognition?
mental activities associated with thinking knowing and remembering and communicating
what is a schema?
a concept or framework for organizing and interpreting information a template
what is assimilation?
interpreting ones own experience in terms of ones existing schemas
what is an accommodation?
adapting one’s current understandings or schemas to incorporate new information
who is the godfather of childhood cognitive development and came up with the stage theory all the way up to age 12?
Piaget (Jean Piaget)
what is a critical period and to who does it apply to?
an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development (applies to humans and animals)
what is imprinting?
a process that only applies to animals when certain animals form attachments during a critical period early in life
what is attachment?
only applies to humans it is an emotional tie with another person
what is the sensorimotor stage?
In Piaget’s theory the stage from birth to 2 years during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities
what is object permanence?
the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived
what is the preoperational stage?
In Piaget’s theory the stage from 2 to 6 or 7 years during a child learns to use language buy does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
what is basic trust?
a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy said to be formed in infancy with by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers
what is a self-concept?
a sense of ones identity and personal worth
