Physical and Cognitive Development in EARLY CHILDHOOD

Question 1

Absence or deficiency of growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland to stimulate the body to grow.

Answer 1

growth hormone deficiency

Question 2

The process by which the nerve cells are covered and insulated with a layer of fat cells, which increases the speed at which information travels through the nervous system.

Answer 2

myelination

Question 3

Piaget’s second stage, lasting from about 2 to 7 years of age, during which children begin to represent the world with words, images, and drawings, and symbolic thought goes beyond simple connections of sensory information and physical action; stable concepts are formed, mental reasoning emerges, egocentrism is present, and magical beliefs are constructed.

Answer 3

preoperational stage

Question 4

In Piaget’s theory, these are reversible mental actions that allow children to do mentally what they formerly did physically.

Answer 4

operations

Question 5

Piaget’s first substage of preoperational thought, in which the child gains the ability to mentally represent an object that is not present (between about 2 and 4 years of age)

Answer 5

symbolic function substage

Question 6

The inability to distinguish between one’s own perspective and someone else’s (salient feature of the first substage of preoperational thought).

Answer 6

egocentrism

Question 7

The belief that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities and are capable of action.

Answer 7

animism

Question 8

Piaget’s second substage of preoperational thought, in which children begin to use primitive reasoning and want to know the answers to all sorts of questions (between 4 and 7 years of age).

Answer 8

intuitive thought substage

Question 9

Focusing attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of all others.

Answer 9

centration

Question 10

In Piaget’s theory, awareness that altering an object’s or a substance’s appearance does not change its basic properties.

Answer 10

conservation

Question 11

Vygotsky’s term for tasks that are too difficult for children to master alone but can be mastered with the assistance of adults or more-skilled children.

Answer 11

Zone Of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Question 12

An approach that emphasizes the social contexts of learning and asserts that knowledge is mutually built and constructed. Vygotsky’s theory reflects this approach.

Answer 12

social constructivist approach

Question 13

Involves action planning, allocating attention to goals, error detection and compensation, monitoring progress on tasks, and dealing with novel or difficult circumstances.

Answer 13

executive attention

Question 14

Focused and extended engagement with an object, task, event, or other aspect of the environment

Answer 14

sustained attention

Question 15

The memory component in which individuals retain information for up to 30 seconds, assuming there is no rehearsal of the information

Answer 15

short-term memory

Question 16

An umbrella-like concept that consists of a number of higher-level cognitive processes linked to the development of the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Executive function involves managing one’s thoughts to engage in goal-directed behavior and to exercise self-control.

Answer 16

executive function

Question 17

Awareness of one’s own mental processes and the mental processes of others.

Answer 17

theory of mind

Question 18

A process that helps to explain how young children learn the connection between a word and its referent so quickly.

Answer 18

fast mapping

Question 19

Education that involves the whole child by considering both the child’s physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development and the child’s needs, interests, and learning styles.

Answer 19

child-centered kindergarten

Question 20

An educational philosophy in which children are given considerable freedom and spontaneity in choosing activities and are allowed to move from one activity to another as they desire.

Answer 20

Montessori approach

Question 21

Education that focuses on the typical developmental patterns of children (age appropriateness) and the uniqueness of each child (individual-appropriateness).

Answer 21

Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)

Question 22

A government-funded program that is designed to provide children from low-income families with the opportunity to acquire the skills and experiences important for school success.

Answer 22

Project Head Start