Physical Development in Infancy

Question 1

cephalocaudal pattern

Answer 1

sequence in which growth proceeds from top to bottom

Question 2

proximodistal pattern

Answer 2

sequence in which growth starts at the center of the body and moves toward extremities

Question 3

dendritic spreading

Answer 3

during first year of life, increases connections between neurons

Question 4

myelination

Answer 4

speeds conduction of nerve impulses

Question 5

laterilazition

Answer 5

specialization of function in one hemisphere of the brain

Question 6

neuroconstructivist view

Answer 6

biological processes and environmental conditions influence brain’s development, brain has plasticity & is context dependent, cognitive development is closely linked to development of brain

Question 7

dynamic systems view

Answer 7

Perception and action are coupled. Motor skills are the result of many converging factors (development of nervous system, ability of body to move, goal motivating movement & environmental support for movement)

Question 8

automatic reflexes

Answer 8

rooting, sucking, grasping, Moro reflex. Disappear after 3-4 months

Question 9

permanent reflexes

Answer 9

coughing, blinking, sneezing. Persist throughout life

Question 10

gross motor skills

Answer 10

large muscle activities - posture and walking

Question 11

fine motor skills

Answer 11

finely tuned movements - reaching and grasping

Question 12

sensation

Answer 12

occurs when information interacts with sensory receptors

Question 13

perception

Answer 13

the interpretation of sensation

Question 14

ecological view

Answer 14

Developed by Gibsons. States we directly perceive information that exists in the world around us. Perception brings people in contact with the environment to interact with and adapt to it.

Question 15

affordances

Answer 15

According to ecological view, they provide opportunities for interaction offered by objects that fit within our capabilities to perform activities.

Question 16

visual preference method

Answer 16

preference infants have for looking at patterned over non-patterned displays (Fantz)

Question 17

habitutation

Answer 17

response to stimulus decreases after prolonged interaction with it

Question 18

dishabituation

Answer 18

responding to a stimulus as if it were new or novel again

Question 19

intermodal perception

Answer 19

ability to related and integrate information from two or more sensory modalities

Question 20

nature advocated

Answer 20

nativists (Gibsons’ ecological view)

Question 21

nurture advocates

Answer 21

empiricists (Piaget’s constructivist view)

Question 22

perceptual-motor coupling

Answer 22

perception and action are not isolated but coupled. Individuals perceive in order to move and move in order to perceive.