Term | Definition |
Early childhood | years 2-6. |
Myelination | aids in the development of the corpus callosum: connector of both brain hemispheres. |
Brain | has specialized functions and damage to brain can result in loss of those functions. |
Plasticity | the tendency of new parts of the brain to take up the functions of injured parts. |
Rough-and-tumble play | helps develop physical and social skills (running, chasing, fleeing, wrestling, hitting an object with hand, laughing and making faces) |
Fine motor skills | involve small muscles used in manipulation and coordination. |
4 stages of drawing | placement, shape, design, pictorial |
immunizations and antibiotics | reduce major illnesses. |
Accidents | the leading cause of death |
Sleep | need 11 to 13 hours in a 24-hour period |
Somnambulism | sleepwalking, is more common among children than adults. |
Toilet training | occurs between ages 3-4. |
Enuresis | failure to control the bladder |
Encopresis | lack of control over the bowels |
Pre-operational Stage | mental manipulations of information, and at this stage, young children’s logic is at best “under construction.” |
Symbolic play | may seem immature, but requires cognitive sophistication |
Egocentrism | one-dimensional thinking where the child is at the center and unable to perceive the world around them |
Precausal Thinking | inaccurate type of thinking about natural causes of events |
Animistic Thinking | attributing life and intentions to inanimate objects |
Scaffolding | temporary support provided by a parent or teacher to learning children, which decreases as children become more proficient. |
Zone of Proximal Development | area in which children develop new cognitive skills as a function of working with more skilled people, who teach and guide them. |
Sesame Street | is most successful educational program. |
Appearance – Reality Distinction | development of the understanding between real events on one hand, and mental events or fantasies on the other. |
Memory | is facilitated by children talking about the event |
Fast-mapping | attaching new word to the appropriate concept |
Whole-object assumption | words refer to whole objects and not to their parts or characteristics |
Pragmatics | children adjust their speech depending on the social situation |
Interactionist view | language precedes and follows cognition |
Parenting | is classified into 2 dimensions. |
Warm parents | are affectionate (kisses and hugs), caring, supportive and communicate enjoyment |
Cold parents | may not enjoy children and have few feelings of affection, |
3 types of enforcement | Inductive, power-assertive, threaten-to-withdraw-love |
Authoritative | they are highly restrictive and make strong demands for maturity, including reasoning and showing strong support and love. |
Authoritarian | value obedience for its own sake with strict guidelines about right and wrong without question. |
Permissive-indulgent | low in their attempts to control children and in their demands for mature behavior; they’re easygoing, unconventional and very high nurturing. |
Rejecting-neglecting | low in demands for mature behavior and low in attempts to control behavior; they are low in support and responsiveness. |
Regression | baby-like behaviors that follow the birth of a new child |
Functional play | beginning of sensorimotor) repetitive motor activity, such as rolling a ball, running, laughing |
Symbolic play | create settings, characters and scripts |
Constructive play | drawing & building |
Formal games play | rules & invention |
Altruism | behavior intended to benefit another without expectation of reward |
Empathy | sensitivity to the feelings of others |
Aggression | behavior intended to hurt or injure another person |
Self-concept | sense of self |
Categorical self | self-definitions that refer to concrete external traits (baby, child, adult, boy, girl) |
Initiative v. Guilt (Erikson's Stage) | Children strive to achieve independence from their parents and master adult behaviors. |
Stereotype | fixed, conventional idea about a group |
Gender roles | broader, cultural expectations about behavior “masculine” “feminine” |
Hippocampus | contributes to differentiation in gendered behavior. |
Social Cognitive Theory | both the roles of rewards and punishments in gender typing and the ways in which children learn from observing others help children decide which behaviors are appropriate for them. |
Cognitive Developmental Theory | children form concepts and then mold behavior to fit their concepts |