Cognitive Development
What does the visual cliff experiment test for in infants?
Depth perception
What’s the term for when babies repeat sounds like “ba-ba-ba”?
Babbling
What is secure attachment?
Child is comforted by caregiver, explores but checks back
Temperament
a child’s natural style of reacting (easy, slow-to-warm, sensitive)
This part of the brain helps us make decisions and control ourselves.
Frontal Lobe
Who is the theorist behind the stages of cognitive development?
Jean Piaget
What is a critical period in language?
A limited time in childhood when language is easiest to learn
What’s one sign of insecure-avoidant attachment?
Avoids or ignores care giver when they return
Give one example of a fine motor skill and one example of a gross motor skill.
Fine motor = small movements (e.g., holding a crayon). Gross motor = big movements (e.g., walking, jumping).
When a baby notices a change, like a new sound, and looks again, this is called…
What is dishabituation?
What is object permanence?
Understanding that objects still exist even when out of sight
What theory says children learn language through reinforcement?
Behaviorist theory (Skinner — reinforcement/conditioning)
Who created the “Strange Situation” to study attachment?
Mary Ainsworth
What is synaptic pruning (in simple words)?
Synaptic pruning = the brain removes weak connections and keeps strong ones (“use it or lose it”).
What is the occipital lobe?
It helps us understand language
What is the first Piagetian stage?
Sensorimotor stage
Vygotsky believed language was tied to what?
Social interaction and thought (language helps thinking)
What is Erikson’s stage for toddlers?
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
What is the job of myelin in the brain?
Myelin helps brain cells send messages faster and more smoothly.
Babies use more than one sense at once, like matching a voice to a face. This is called…
What is intermodal perception
Which theorist emphasized scaffolding?
Lev Vygotsky
What was the purpose of the Heinz dilemma?
To study moral reasoning and how people justify choices
Which theory explains morality in levels (pre-, conventional, post-)?
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development
What is the difference between nature (genes) and nurture (environment)?
Nature = genes/biology. Nurture = environment/experiences. Both work together.
Why do researchers use habituation studies with babies?
To learn what babies know/understand before they can talk