Test 2 Flashcards
cerebral cortex
Upper layer of the brain
hindbrain
contains structures including medulla, the pons and the reticular formation
cerebellum
part of the brain that controlls movement and balance
reticular formation
an area of the brain associated with attention and concentration
handedness
the preference of using one hand over the other
lateralization
process in which certain cognitive functions are located more in one hemisphere of the brain than in the other
myelin
protective insulation that surrounds parts of the neurons, increasing the speed of transmission of electrical impulses along brain cells
plasticity
degree to which a developing structure or behavior is modifiable due to experience
synaptic pruning
the elimination of neurons as the result of nonuse or lack of stimulation.
Assimilation
is the process by which people understand an experience in terms of their current stage of cognitive developers and way of thinking.
Example: assimilation occurs when a stimulus or an event is acted upon, perceived, and understood in accordance with existing patterns of thought. An infant who tries to suck on any toy in the same way is assimilating the objects to her existing sucking scheme. Similarly, a child who encounters a flying squirrel at a zoo and calls it a “bird “is assimilating the squirrel to his existing scheme of bird.
Accommodation
refer to changes in existing ways of thinking, understanding, or behaving in response to encounter with new stimuli or events.
For instance, when a child sees a dying squirrel at a zoo and calls it” bird with trail”, he is beginning to accommodate new knowledge, modifying his scheme of bird.
Centration
the process of concentrating in one limited aspect of a stimulus and ignoring other aspects.
Conservation
is the knowledge that quantity is unrelated to the arrangement and physical appearance of objects
Egocentric thought
is thinking that does not take into account the viewpoints of others
Goal-directed behavior
behavior in which serberal schemes are combined and coordinated to generate a single act to solve problem
Mental representation
an internal image of a past event or object.
Object permanence
the realization that people and objects exist even when they cannot be seen
Operations
organized, formal, logical, mental processes.
Pre-operational stage
according to Piaget, the stage from approximately age 2 to age 7 in which childrens’ use of symbolic thinking grows, mental reasoning emerged, and the use of concepts increases.
Scaffolding
the support for learning and problem solving that encourages independence and growth.
Scheme
an organized pattern if sensorimotor functioning.
Zone of Proximal Development
according to Vygotsky, the level at which a child can almost, but not fully, perform a task independently, but can do so with the assistance of someone more competent.
Symbolic Function
the ability to use a mental symbol, a word, or an object to stand for something that is not physically present
Sensorimotor stage
Piaget’s initial major stage of cognitive development, which can be broken down into six substages.
Attention
information processing involving the ability to strategically choose among and sort out different stimuli in the environment
Information processing approaches
the process by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved
Long term memory
the memory component I which information is stored on a relatively permanent basis
Sensory store
the initial, momentary storage of information, lasting only an instant
Short term memory
the short duration limited capacity memory component in which selected input from the memory store is worked on.
Working memory
a set of temporary memory stores that actively manipulate and rehearse information
Babbling
making speech like but meaningless sound.
Grammar
the system of rules that determine how our thought can be express.
Infant-directed speech
a type of speech directed toward infants that is characterized by short, simple sentences.
Language
the systematic, meaningful arrangement of symbols, which provides the basic for communication.
Language acquisition device (LAD)
a neural system of brain hypothesized to permit understanding of language structure and provide strategies for learning the particular characteristics of language.
Learning theory approach
the theory that language acquisition follows the basic laws of reinforcement and conditioning.
Prelinguistic communication
communication through sound, facial expressions, gestures, imitation, and other nonlinguistic means.
Under-extensions
using words too restrictively, this is common among children just mastering spoken language. It’s occurs when language novices think that a word refers to a specific instance of a concept, instead of to all examples of concept.
Over-extension
words are used too broadly, over generalizing their meaning.
Achievement test
a test designed to determine a person’s level of knowledge in given subject area.
Aptitude test
a test designed to predict a person’s ability in a particular area or line of work.
Bayley scales of infant development
a measure that evaluates an infant’s development from 2 to 42 month.
Crystallized intelligence
the store of information, skill, and strategies that people have acquired through education and prior experiences and through their previous use of fluid intelligence.
Developmental quotient
an overall development score that relates to performance in four domains; motor skills, language use, adaptive behavior, and personal and social skills.
Emotional intelligence
the set of skills that underline the accurate assessment, evaluation, expression, and regulation of emotions.
Fluid intelligence
the intelligence that reflects information processing capabilities, reasoning, and memory.
Full inclusion
the integration of all students, even those with the most severe disabilities, into regular classes and all other aspects of school and community life.
Intelligence
the capacity to understand the world, think with rationality, and use resources effective when faced with challenges.
Intelligence quotient or IQ
a score that takes into account a student’s mental and chronological age.
Learning disability
difficult in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing reasoning, or mathematical ability.
Practical intelligence
according to Sternberg, intelligence that is learned primarily by observing others and modeling their behavior.
Profound retardation
retardation with IQ scores below 20 or 25.
Stanford-Binet intelligence scale
A test that consists of series of items that varies according to the age of person being tested.
Triarchic theory of intelligence
the belief that intelligence consists of three aspects of information processing: the componential element, the experiential element, and contexture element.
Validity
a quality if tests that actually measure what they are supposes to measure.
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale(WAIS-IV)
a test for adult that provides separate measures of verbal and performance (nonverbal) skill, as well as a total score.
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children (WISC-IV)
a children’s intelligence test permitting unusual flexibility in its administration.
