- A not B error
- error in which an infant searches for an object in the original rather than the new hiding place
- accommodation
- process by which we alter an existing schema to fit new information
- assimilation
- process by which we incorporate new information into an existing schema
- babbling
- repeated sequence of consonant-vowel sounds
- biopsychosocial
- change influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors
- child-directed speech
- speech with a sing-song intonation, simple words, and exaggerated pronunciation
- circular reaction
- repeated movement observed during the sensorimotor stage
- co-sleeping
- practice in which caregivers share a bed or a room with the infant or toddler
- cooing
- deliberate generation of vowel sounds
- deferred imitation
- repetition of a behavior after some time has passed
- dynamic systems theory
- theory that developmental behaviors and milestones are the result of interactions between systems, including those within the individual
- electroencephalogram (EEG)
- test that measures electrical activity in the brain
- explicit memory
- type of memory that we consciously try to remember and recall
- expressive style
- use of language for social reasons, to express feelings and needs
- fast mapping
- process by which children quickly connect words and their meanings
- fine motor skills
- coordinated movements performed by small muscles to manipulate and control objects or perform precise tasks like reaching for and grasping an object
- frontal lobe
- portion of the brain that controls thinking, planning, memory, and judgment
- gray matter
- outer layer of the brain
- gross motor skills
- voluntary movements that rely on large muscle groups and typically activate the arms, legs, head, and torso
- growth chart
- chart used to identify typical weight, height, and head circumference for boys and girls
- habituation
- decreased interest in and response to repeatedly presented stimuli
- holophrase
- speech that uses a single word to express an idea
- implicit memory
- type of memory that is not part of our consciousness
- infant mortality
- death before the age of one year
- infinite generativity
- capacity to create an unlimited number of meaningful messages
- interactionist approach
- approach to language development highlighting the complex interactions between the biological readiness of children and the environment in which they are raised
- intermodal perception
- awareness of the world gained through multiple senses at the same time
- kwashiorkor
- severe malnutrition, with a loss of appetite and swelling of the abdomen as the body breaks down organs as a source of protein
- language
- communication system that uses words and rules to allow the transmission of information between individuals
- lateralization
- process in which different functions become localized to one side of the brain
- learning approach
- approach to language development that highlights the contribution of caregivers
- long-term memory
- relatively permanent storage of information
- marasmus
- starvation due to lack of calories and protein
- morpheme
- smallest meaningful unit of language
- myelination
- process by which the axon develops the myelin sheath
- nativist approach
- approach to language development asserting that humans are born with the innate ability to learn language and that experience plays a very limited role
- neurogenesis
- development of new neurons
- neuron
- cell in the brain that sends messages
- NREM
- non–rapid eye movement sleep, characterized by slowed heart rate and respiration
- object permanence
- ability to recognize that an object exists even when we cannot observe it
- occipital lobe
- portion of the brain that processes visual information
- overextension
- tendency of young children to use words to inappropriately name something else
- parietal lobe
- portion of the brain that processes sensory information such as touch and spatial awareness
- perception
- interpretation of sensory information
- phoneme
- smallest unit of sound
- plasticity
- brain’s ability to change, physically and chemically, in response to environmental input and to compensate for injury
- prefrontal cortex
- front of the frontal lobe that regulates emotions and is involved in planning and judgment
- referential style
- use of language to talk about objects and things
- reflex
- involuntary movement in response to a stimulation
- REM
- rapid eye movement sleep, sometimes called active sleep
- schema
- a mental framework used to organize and interpret information
- sensation
- detection of sensory stimuli
- sensorimotor development
- first stage of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development theory, focused on children’s early experiences of the world
- smell
- perception of odors via the nose and part of olfactory system
- social referencing
- process in which children use information from another to determine their own response
- sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- death of a healthy infant that is sudden and unexpected and cannot be explained
- sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)
- death from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), accidental suffocation or strangulation, or an unknown cause
- sustained attention
- extended focus on an activity or stimulus
- symbolic thought
- ability to mentally represent objects, people, or events that are not present
- synapse
- gap between neurons where neurotransmitters are released from the axon to the dendrite of the next neuron
- synaptic pruning
- process by which unused connections of neurons die off
- synaptogenesis
- process in which neurons connect with other, nearby neurons
- taste
- perception of flavor from receptors in mouth and tongue
- telegraphic speech
- speech that uses few words and does not rely on grammar rules
- temporal lobe
- portion of the brain associated with hearing and language
- underextension
- tendency of young children to inappropriately restrict the use of a word
- undernutrition
- intake of inadequate calories and/or nutrition
- universal listener
- infant who can distinguish the sounds of both native and non-native languages
- visual cliff
- test of depth perception that uses a table with the appearance of a drop-off from a shallow to deep surface
- white matter
- brain matter composed of many bundles of axons that connect neurons to different regions with functional circuits/pathways