Infancy and Toddlerhood Development

Question 1

Brain development

Answer 1

Neural fibres, synapses and myelination increase producing large increases in brain size

Arborisation: Growth of the axon (increasing dendric branches)

Synaptogenesis: Increases in the number of synaptic junctions

Myelination: Creation of layer of fatty sheath around the axons

Question 2

Experience-expectant brain growth

Answer 2

Experience-expectant brain growth is a process of brain development that occurs when a brain integrates environmental stimuli into it’s normal patterns of development

This process is dependent on the brain being exported to basic environmental information during the sensitive periods of development

Question 3

Experience-dependent brain growth

Answer 3

Experience-dependent brain growth is a process in which the brain’s structure and function are shaped by an individual’s experiences throughout their life

Also known as synaptic plasticity; the ability to form new synapses, eliminate existing ones and modulate synaptic functions

Question 4

Gross motor development

Question 5

Fine motor development

Question 6

Perceptual development

Answer 6

The process by which children use their senses to understand the world around them. It provides a foundation for learning where it is crucial children explore and interact with people and objects.

Question 7

Infant Perceptual Development

Answer 7

They begin to distinguish between familiar and non-familiar faces, and to explore objects based on their features.

Can distinguish between different sounds, important for language development

Question 8

Preschoolers Perceptual Development

Answer 8

Use perceptual information to develop awareness of their body’s in space and to perform tasks