Chapter 3

Question 1

reflexes

Answer 1

unlearned responses triggered by specific stimulation

Question 2

alert inactivity

Answer 2

state in which a baby’s eyes are open but seem unfocused while the arms or legs move in bursts of uncoordinated motion

Question 3

crying

Answer 3

state in which a baby cries vigorously, usually accompanied by agitated but uncoordinated movement

Question 4

sleeping

Answer 4

state in which a baby alternates from being still and breathing regularly to moving gently and breathing irregularly; the eyes are closed throughout

Question 5

basic cry

Answer 5

cry that starts softly and gradually becomes more intense; often heard when babies are hungry or tired

Question 6

mad cry

Answer 6

more intense version of a basic cry

Question 7

pain cry

Answer 7

cry that begins with a sudden long burst followed by a long pause and gasping

Question 8

irregular or rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep

Answer 8

irregular sleep in which an infant’s eyes dart rapidly beneath the eyelids while the body is quite active

Question 9

regular (nonREM) sleep

Answer 9

sleep in which heart rate, breathing, and brain activity are steady

Question 10

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Answer 10

when a healthy baby dies suddenly for no apparent reason

Question 11

temperament

Answer 11

consistent style or pattern of behavior

Question 12

neuron

Answer 12

basic cellular unit of the brain and nervous system that specializes in receiving and transmitting information

Question 13

cell body

Answer 13

center of the neuron that keeps the neuron alive

Question 14

dendrite

Answer 14

end of the neuron that receives information; it looks like a tree with many branches

Question 15

axon

Answer 15

tubelike structure that emerges from the cell body and transmits information to other neurons

Question 16

terminal buttons

Answer 16

small knobs at the end of the axon that release neurotransmitters

Question 17

neurotransmitters

Answer 17

chemicals released by the terminal buttons that allow neurons to communicate with each other

Question 18

cerebral cortex

Answer 18

wrinkled surface of the brain that regulates many functions that are distinctly human

Question 19

hemispheres

Answer 19

right and left halves of the cortex

Question 20

corpus callosum

Answer 20

thick bundle of neurons that connects the two hemispheres

Question 21

frontal cortex

Answer 21

brain region that regulates personality and goal-directed behavior

Question 22

neural plate

Answer 22

flat group of cells present in prenatal development that becomes the brain and spinal cord

Question 23

myelin

Answer 23

fatty sheath that wraps around neurons and enables them to transmit information more rapidly

Question 24

synaptic pruning

Answer 24

gradual reduction in the number of synapses, beginning in infancy and continuing until early adolescence

Question 25

electroencephalography

Answer 25

the study of brain waves recorded from electrodes that are placed on the scalp

Question 26

functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Answer 26

method of studying brain activity by using magnetic fields to track blood flow in the brain

Question 27

experience-expectant growth

Answer 27

process by which the wiring of the brain is organized by experiences that are common to most humans

Question 28

experience-dependent growth

Answer 28

process by which an individual’s unique experiences over a lifetime affect brain structures and organization

Question 29

motor skills

Answer 29

coordinated movements of the muscles and limbs

Question 30

locomote

Answer 30

ability to move around in the world

Question 31

fine motor skills

Answer 31

motor skills associated with grasping, holding, and manipulating objects

Question 32

toddling

Answer 32

early, unsteady form f walking done by infants

Question 33

toddlers

Answer 33

young children who have just learned to walk

Question 34

dynamic systems theory

Answer 34

The idea that motor development involves many distinct skills that are organized and reorganized over time to meet demands of specific tasks

Question 35

perception

Answer 35

processes by which the brain receives, selects, modifies, and organizes incoming nerve impulses that are the result of physical stimulation

Question 36

visual acuity

Answer 36

smallest pattern that one can distinguish reliably

Question 37

cones

Answer 37

specialized neurons in the back of the eye that sense color

Question 38

visual cliff

Answer 38

glass covered platform that appears to have a :shallow” and a “deep” side; used to study infants’ depth perception

Question 39

kinetic cues

Answer 39

cues to depth perception in which motion is used to estimate depth

Question 40

visual expansion

Answer 40

kinetic cue to depth perception that is based on the fact that an objects fills an even greater proportion of the retina as it moves closer

Question 41

motion parallax

Answer 41

kinetic cue to depth perception based on the fact that nearby moving objects move across our visual field faster than do distant objects

Question 42

retinal disparity

Answer 42

way of inferring depth based on differences in the retinal images in the left and right eyes

Question 43

pictorial cues

Answer 43

cues to depth perception taht are used to convey depth in drawings and paintings

Question 44

linear perspective

Answer 44

a cue to depth perception based on the fact that parallel lines come together at a single point in the distance

Question 45

texture gradient

Answer 45

perceptual cue to depth based on the fact that the texture of objects changes from coarse and distinct for nearby objects to finer and less distinct for distant objects

Question 46

intersensory redundancy

Answer 46

infants sensory systems are attuned to information presented simultaneously to different sensory modes