Ch.4 Lect

Question 1

synapses

Answer 1

connections b/t neurons

Question 2

synaptogenesis

Answer 2

process of synapse development

Question 3

pruning

Answer 3

process of eliminating unused synapses

Question 4

plasticity

Answer 4

ability of brain to change in response to experience

Question 5

myelinization

Answer 5

process of neuronal development in which sheaths mad of a substance called myelin gradually cover individual axons and electrically insulate them from one another to improve the conductivity of the nerve

Question 6

reticular formation

Answer 6

part of the brain that regulates attention

Question 7

adaptive reflexes

Answer 7

reflexes, such as sucking, that help newborns survive

Question 8

moro reflex

Answer 8

when startled, baby will throw its arms outward and arch its back. AKA the startle reflex

Question 9

babinski reflex

Answer 9

stoking bottom of the foot cause toes to splay out and then curl n

Question 10

gross motor skills

Answer 10

abilities like crawling that enable the infant to get around in the environment. typically, boys require these faster than girls

Question 11

fine motor skills

Answer 11

motor skills involving the use of the hans. typically girls develop these faster than boys due to their earlier development of the wrist bones in females

Question 12

primitive reflexes

Answer 12

reflexes, controlled by “primitive” parts of the brain, that disappear during the first year of life

Question 13

colic

Answer 13

an infant behavior pattern involving daily bouts of crying totaling 3 or more hours a day

Question 14

basic cry

Answer 14

often signals hunger, usually has a rhythmical pattern; cry, silence, breath, cry, silence, breath, with a kind of whistling sound often accompanying the in-breath

Question 15

anger cry

Answer 15

typically louder and more intense cry

Question 16

pain cry

Answer 16

normally has a very abrupt onset. unlike the other 2 kinds of cries. which usually begin with whimpering or moaning

Question 17

milestones of motor development at 1 month

Answer 17

gross motor skills: stepping reflex; lifts head slightly.

fine: holds objects if placed in hand

Question 18

milestones of motor development at 2-3 months

Answer 18

gross: lifts head up 90 degree angle when lying on stomach
fine: begins to swipe at objects in sight

Question 19

milestone of motor development at 4-6 months

Answer 19

gross: rolls over; sits with support; moves on hands and knees; holds head erect while in sitting position.
fine: reaches for and grasps object

Question 20

milestones of motor development at 7-9 months

Answer 20

gross: sits w/out support; crawls
fine: transfers objects from one hand to the other

Question 21

milestones of motor development at 10-12 months

Answer 21

gross: pulls self up and walks grasping furniture; walks alone; squats and stoops; plays pat-a-cake
fine: shows some signs of hand preference; grasps a spoon across palm but has poor aim when moving food to mouth

Question 22

milestone of motor development at 13-18 months

Answer 22

gross: walks backward, sideways runs; rolls ball to adult; claps
fine: stacks 2 blocks; puts objects into small container and bumps them out

Question 23

milestones of motor development at 19-24 months

Answer 23

gross: walks up and down stairs, 2 feet per step; jumps w/ both feet off ground
fine: uses spoon to feed self; stacks 4-10 blocks

Question 24

esther thelen

Answer 24

1st proposed dynamic systems theory which suggests that the inborn timetable for motor skills development interacts w/ other aspects of physical development. often cited the disappearance of the stepping reflex at 4 months as an example

Question 25

dynamic systems theory

Answer 25

view that several factors interact to influence development

Question 26

stepping reflex

Answer 26

tendency for very young infants to attempt to take steps when they are laced in an upright position with their feet touching a flat surface.

Question 27

wayne dennis

Answer 27

studied children raised in Iranian orphanages an found that baby's who were routinely placed on their backs in cribs learned to walk eventually, but about a year later than babies in less restrictive settings

Question 28

african infant precocity

Answer 28

support for the notion that experiences influence motor development from developmental scientists who discovered that African infants, especially those born in rural areas, reach some motor milestones earlier than babies in othe parts of the world. subsequent studies found that pattern of traditional cultural practices that bont intentionally and coincidentally promote motor development was the most likely explanation

Question 29

ossification

Answer 29

process of bone hardening beginning the last weeks of prenatal development and continuing though puberty

Question 30

stamina

Answer 30

ability to maintain activity. improvements in lung efficiency and increasing strength of hear muscles allow children to maintain activity longer than newborns

Question 31

solid food

Answer 31

pediatricians recommend waiting to introduce until the baby is at least 6 months old

Question 32

marasmus

Answer 32

disease resulting in severe calorie deficit. infants weigh 60% less than what they should at their age and many suffer permanent neurological damage from the disease. most also suffer from parasitic infections that lead to chronic diarrhea. it requires medical attention to treat, not just increasing calorie intake

Question 33

macronutrient malnutrition

Answer 33

results from diet that contains too few calories. world's leading cause of death among infants under the age of 5

Question 34

kwashiorkor

Answer 34

disease where an infants diet contains enough calories but not enough protein. similar symptoms are seen in childrn who are chronically ill b/c of their bodies inability to use protein from the foods they eat. can lead to variety of health problems as well as permanent brain damage

Question 35

micronutrient malnutrition

Answer 35

deficiency of certain vitamins and/or minerals

Question 36

infant mortality

Answer 36

death w/in the 1st year of life

Question 37

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Answer 37

phenomenon in which a healthy infant dies suddenly and unexpectedly. leading cause of death in the US among infants b/t 1 month and 1 year of age

Question 38

5 risk factors for SIDS

Answer 38

happens more often in winter. babies w/ history of apnea. babies who sleep on their stomach or sides. mother smoked during pregnancy. delayed myelination and serotonin deficiency

Question 39

visual acuity

Answer 39

how well one can see details at a distance. normal adults is 20/20. reach this by 6 months

Question 40

infant senses

Answer 40

color vision is present at birth but visual acuity and tracking are poor. these develop rapidly in the 1st few months. basic hearing, smelling, tasting and ouch are all well developed at birth

Question 41

tracking

Answer 41

smooth movements of the eye used to follow and track of a moving object

Question 42

auditory acuity

Answer 42

how well one can hear. although children's hearing typically improves up to adolescence, neworn's haring is better than their visual acuity.

Question 43

preference technique

Answer 43

research method in which a researcher keeps track of how long a baby looks at two objects shown

Question 44

habituation

Answer 44

decline in attention that occurs b/c a stimulus has become familiar

Question 45

dishabituation

Answer 45

responding to a somewhat familiar stimulus as if it were new

Question 46

intermodal perception

Answer 46

formation of a single perception of a stimulus that is based on information from 2 or more senses. begins as early as 1 month and is common at 6 months

Question 47

nativists

Answer 47

theorist who claim that perceptual abilities are inborn

Question 48

empiricists

Answer 48

theorists who argue that perceptual abilities are learned

Question 49

immunizations are most effective if begun at what time in a childs life?

Answer 49

1st month

Question 50

which of the follow is the simplest precaution that a parent can take to reduce the risk of SIDS

Answer 50

position infant on back to sleep

Question 51

the persistence of the moro reflex or the babinski reflex beyond 6 months suggest what

Answer 51

signal existence of some type of neurological problem

Question 52

in the US which group has the highest infant mortality rate

Answer 52

african americans

Question 53

what is the primary function of brain development in the 1st year of life?

Answer 53

formation of synapses