Chapter 7

Question 1

obesity

Answer 1

a body weight more than 20 percent higher than the
average weight for a person of a given age and height.

Question 2

What is the greatest risk during the preschool years?

Answer 2

Injury; children during that age are twice as likely to die from injury than from illnesses

Question 3

lateralization

Answer 3

the process in which certain
cognitive functions are located
more in one hemisphere of the
brain than in the other

Question 4

myelination

Answer 4

a brain maturation process where axonal bundles are wrapped by myelin sheaths, a process that is essential for proper functioning of the nervous system

Question 5

reticular formation

Answer 5

an
area of the brain associated with attention and concentration

Question 6

When is the myelination of the reticular formation completed?

Answer 6

By the time children are about five

Question 7

Gross motor skills at age 3

Answer 7

Able to walk up
stairs, alternating
feet
Unable to stop or
turn suddenly
Able to jump a length
of 15–24 inches

Question 8

Gross motor skills at age 4

Answer 8

Able to walk down a
long staircase, alternating
feet, with assistance
Have some control in starting,
stopping, and turning
Length of jump
increases to 24–33 inches

Question 9

Gross motor skills at age 5

Answer 9

Able to walk down a
long staircase, alternating
feet
Capable of starting, stopping,
and turning in games
Able to make a running
jump of 28–36 inches

Question 10

Guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric on when children are ready for toilet training (echoing Brazelton)

Answer 10

staying dry for at least two hours at a time during the day or waking up dry after naps

regular and predictable bowel movement

indication, through facial expressions or words, that urination or bowel movement is about to occur

the ability to follow simple directions

the ability to get to the bathroom and undress alone

discomfort with soiled diapers

asking to use the toilet or potty chair

the desire to wear underwear

Question 11

handedness

Answer 11

the preference of using one hand
over another

Question 12

preoperational stage

Answer 12

according to Piaget, the stage from
approximately age two to age
seven in which children’s use of
symbolic thinking grows, mental
reasoning emerges, and the use of
concepts increases

Question 13

operations

Answer 13

organized, formal, logical mental
processes

Question 14

What ages fall into the preoperational stage?

Answer 14

two years until seven years

Question 15

symbolic function

Answer 15

the
ability to use a mental symbol, a word, or an object to stand for or represent something that
is not physically present

Question 16

centration

Answer 16

the process of concentrating on
one limited aspect of a stimulus
and ignoring other aspects

Question 17

conservation

Answer 17

the knowledge that quantity is
unrelated to the arrangement and
physical appearance of objects

Question 18

transformation

Answer 18

the process in which one state is
changed into another

Question 19

egocentric thought

Answer 19

thinking that does not take into
account the viewpoints of others

Question 20

intuitive thought

Answer 20

thinking that reflects preschoolers’
use of primitive reasoning and
their avid acquisition of knowledge
about the world

Question 21

functionality

Answer 21

the idea that actions, events, and outcomes are related to
one another in fixed patterns.

Question 22

Identity

Answer 22

the understanding that certain things
stay the same, regardless of changes in shape, size, and appearance

Question 23

autobiographical memory

Answer 23

memory of particular events from
one’s own life

Question 24

scripts

Answer 24

broad representations in memory
of events and the order in which
they occur

Question 25

zone of proximal development (ZPD)

Answer 25

according to Vygotsky, the level at which a child can almost, but not fully, perform a task independently, but can do so with the assistance of someone more competent

Question 26

scaffolding

Answer 26

the support for learning and problem solving that encourages independence and growth

Question 27

syntax

Answer 27

the way in which an individual combines words and phrases to form sentences

Question 28

fast mapping

Answer 28

a process in which new words are associated with their meaning after only a brief encounter

Question 29

grammar

Answer 29

the system of rules that determines how our thoughts can be expressed

Question 30

private speech

Answer 30

speech by children that is spoken and directed to themselves

Question 31

pragmatics

Answer 31

the aspect of language that relates to communicating effectively and appropriately with others

Question 32

social speech

Answer 32

speech directed toward another person and meant to be understood by that person

Question 33

Child-care centers

Answer 33

provide care for children outside the home while their parents are at work

Question 34

family child-care centers

Answer 34

small operations run in private homes

Question 35

Preschools

Answer 35

explicitly designed to provide intellectual and social experiences for children. They tend to be more limited in their schedules than family child-care centers, typically providing care for only three to five hours per day

Question 36

School child care

Answer 36

provided by some local school systems in the United States. Almost half the states in the United States fund prekindergarten programs for four-year- olds, often aimed at disadvantaged children. Because they typically are staffed by better-trained teachers than less-regulated child-care centers, school child-care programs are often of higher quality than other early education alternatives

Question 37

program quality

Answer 37

High-quality care provides intellectual and social benefits, while low-quality care not only is unlikely to furnish benefits but actually may harm children

Question 38

Characteristics of high quality care

Answer 38

The care providers are well trained, preferably with bachelor’s degrees. * The child-care center has an appropriate overall size and ratio of care providers to children. Single groups should not have many more than 14 to 20 children, and there should be no more than 5 to 10 three-year- olds per caregiver, or 7 to 10 four- or five-year- olds per caregiver. * The child–teacher ratio should be 10:1 or better. * The curriculum of a child-care facility is carefully planned out and coordinated among the teachers. * The language environment is rich, with a great deal of conversation. * The caregivers are sensitive to children’s emotional and social needs, and they know when and when not to intervene. * Materials and activities are age appropriate. * Basic health and safety standards are followed. * Children should be screened for vision, hearing, and health problems. * At least one meal a day should be served. * The facility should provide at least one family support service.

Question 39

developmentally appropriate educational practice

Answer 39

education that is based on both typical development and the unique characteristics of a given child