Ch. 5

Question 1

Executive function

Answer 1

The cognitive ability to organize and prioritize the many thoughts that arise from the various parts of the brain

Question 2

Corpus callosum

Answer 2

Band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain

Question 3

Lateralization

Answer 3

Sidedness referring to the specialization in certain functions by each side of the brain

Question 4

Myelination

Answer 4

Axons become coated with myelin

Question 5

Impulse control

Answer 5

The ability to postpone or deny an immediate response to an idea or behavior

Question 6

Perseveration

Answer 6

The tendency to persevere in one thought or action for a long time

Question 7

Amygdala

Answer 7

A tiny brain structure that registers emotions, esp fear and anxiety

Question 8

Hippocampus

Answer 8

A brain structure that is a central processor of memory

Question 9

Hypothalamus

Answer 9

A brain area that responds to the amygdala and the hippocampus as well as various experiences to produce hormones that activate the pituitary and other parts of the brain and body

Question 10

Preoperational intelligence

Answer 10

Piaget, language and imagination not yet logical

Question 11

Symbolic thought

Answer 11

Understanding that words can refer to things not seen and that an item can symbolize something else

Question 12

Animism

Answer 12

The belief that natural objects and phenomena are alive in the way that humans are

Question 13

Centration

Answer 13

A young child focuses on one idea and excludes all others

Question 14

Egocentrism

Answer 14

Children’s tendency to think about other people and their own experiences as if everything revolves around them

Question 15

Focus on appearance

Answer 15

A young child assumes that the visible appearance of someone or something is also their essence

Question 16

Static reasoning

Answer 16

A young child thinks that nothing changes

Question 17

Irreversibility

Answer 17

The idea that change is permanent

Question 18

Conservation

Answer 18

The principle that the amount of a substance remains the same even when its appearance changes

Question 19

Mentor

Answer 19

Someone who teaches or guides someone else

Question 20

Zone of proximal development

Answer 20

A metaphorical area surrounding a learner that includes all the skills knowledge and concepts that the person is close to acquiring but cannot yet master without help

Question 21

Scaffolding

Answer 21

Temporary support that is tailored to a learner’s needs and aimed at helping the learner take the next step in learning something

Question 22

Overimitation

Answer 22

When a person imitates an action unnecessarily

Question 23

Theory-theory

Answer 23

The idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear

Question 24

Theory of mind

Answer 24

A person’s theory of what other people might be thinking

Question 25

Fast-mapping

Answer 25

The speedy and sometimes imprecise way that children learn new words by quickly categorizing them

Question 26

Overregularization

Answer 26

Applying rules of grammar even when exceptions occur

Question 27

Pragmatics

Answer 27

The practical use of language

Question 28

Montessori schools

Answer 28

Schools that emphasizes careful work and individualized accomplishment

Question 29

Reggio Emilia

Answer 29

A program of early-childhood education that encourages each child’s creativity in a carefully designed setting

Question 30

Head Start

Answer 30

A federally funded early-childhood intervention program for low-income children in the US