Brain & Biology
What process coats neurons with fatty substance to improve speed and efficiency of messages?
Myelination
Which comes first: sitting with support or crawling?
Sitting with support
Piaget’s first stage of development (birth–2 years).
Sensorimotor stage
What is “babbling”?
Repetition of consonant-vowel sounds, like ba-ba
According to Erikson, what is the first psychosocial crisis of infancy?
Trust vs. Mistrust
What order of brain development describes brainstem, midbrain/limbic, then cortex?
Bottom-up (brainstem → limbic → cortex)
Infants using thumb and forefinger to pick up food are demonstrating what?
Pincer grasp
Define assimilation.
Fitting new experiences into existing schemas
Around what age do first words usually appear?
12 months
What is “stranger anxiety”?
Fear/wariness of unfamiliar people, common around 6–12 months
Why is the prefrontal cortex important in infancy?
Supports planning, impulse control, attention
What’s the difference between gross motor and fine motor skills?
Gross = large movements (crawl, walk); Fine = small movements (grasp, pick up)
Define accommodation.
Changing schemas to fit new experiences
Which theory says children learn language through reinforcement and imitation?
Behaviorist (Skinner)
Define “social referencing.”
Looking to caregiver’s reaction to decide how to respond in a new situation
What is the purpose of pruning in brain development?
Eliminates unused connections to make brain more efficient
By around 6 months, most babies can…
Sit without support
What milestone is achieved when an infant looks for a hidden object?
Object permanence
Which theory emphasizes an inborn “language acquisition device”?
Nativist (Chomsky)
What did Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation measure?
Attachment security
What is the term for brain’s ability to change with experience?
Neuroplasticity
Which pattern describes development from the center outward?
Proximodistal
Piaget believed children learn through what process?
Active exploration and interaction with environment
What is “child-directed speech” and why is it helpful?
High-pitched, slow, exaggerated speech that helps infants learn language. e.g., parentese or motherese.
Name two features of secure attachment.
Uses caregiver as a base for exploration; distressed when caregiver leaves; comforted on return