Chapter 5 Developmental Psychology

The average baby will grow ____ inches in his or her first year.

10

A typical child at 24 months weighs about ___ pounds.

28

The average North American newborn weighs ___ pounds at birth.

7

The average newborn triples his weight by __.

1 year

Children reach half their adult height by the age of __ years.

2

Clara’s weight is in the 30th percentile. This means that __ percent of all babies her age weight less than she does and __ percent of all babies her age weigh more than she does.

30, 70

Jordan’s weight is in the 50th percentile. This means that ___.

he weighs 50 percent more than other hildren his age

A ___ is a ranking between 0 and 100 that compares children of the same age in order to determine whether a particular baby is growing well.

percentile

Alma brought her 6 month old son to the doctor for a well baby visit. The doctor says that her son’s weight is in the 20th percentile. What does this definitely mean?

he is small compared to other 6-month-olds

Parents are told that their newborn is in the 90th percentile for height. This means that their child is ____.

above average in height

The human body is equipped to protect the brain when malnutrition temporarily affects body growth. This protective feature is known as _____.

head-sparing

A newborn’s brain weight is ____ an adult’s brain weight.

25 percent of

Brain cells are called ____.

Neurons

A basic nerve cell in the central nervous system is called ____.

Neuron

Which statement describes the brain’s cortex?

It makes up the outer layers of the brain and id responsible for thinking, feeling, and sensing

The outer layers of the brain are referred to as ____.

the cortex

The areas at the very front of the cortex ____.

assist with impulse control

The last part of the brain to mature is

prefrontal cortex

The area in the brain that plans, anticipates, and ontrols impulses is the ___ cortex

prefrontal

Neurons in the brain that meet at "intersections" called

synapse

Synapse are

intersections where the axons of one neuron meet dendrites of another neuron

The function of neurotransmitters is to

carry information from one neuron to another

Dendrite growth is the main reason that brain weight ___ from birth to the age of 12

triples

Brain weight triples in size during the first two years of life primarily because of the growth of

dendrites

From birth until age 2, dendrites in the cortex increase

fivefold

The brain develops extremely quickly in the first few years, but not all of this growth is permanent. Due to its rapidity and temporary nature, this rapid brain growth is called

transient exuberance

Transient exuberance is the

rapid growth of dendrites during the first few years of life

The process through which unused dendrites atrophy and die is called

pruning

Pruning is the process by which

unused connections between neurons are eliminated

Trent is an infant who lacks the toys and videos that promote brain development. He spend much of his day in a playpen with kitchen items for toys, listening to his grandmother sing while his mother works outside the home. In this situtation, Trent’s brain development will most likely

proceed normally due to the self-righting tendency

A life threatening condition that occurs when infants are shaken back and forth sharply and quickly is called

shaken baby syndrome

An abusive caregiver shakes an infant to get her to stop crying. The infant stops crying. Why?

Blood vessels in her brain ruptured and neural connections break

Dominique was an infant with very few toys, but she concocted things to play with out of what was available in her home in order to develop her brain. This is an example of

self-righting

The part of the brain that seems to be devotd to percieving faces is the

fusiform face area

Children as young as ___ old exhibit signs of the own-race effect

3-months

Research found that 3-year-olds ____ were better at recognizing differences in newborn faces

with younger siblings

Approximately how many hours per day does the average newborn spend asleep?

15 to 17

The dozing,half awake state often seen in newborns is called

transitional sleep

Slow-wave sleep

increases at about 3 or 4 months of age

The signs of REM sleep include flickering of the infant’s

closed eyes and rapid brain waves

Co-sleeping may be harmful to the baby if the mother

is drugged or drunk

In addition to cultural influences, what is a compelling reason that causes parents to choose to co-sleep with their infant?

Co-sleeping makes nighttime feedings easier

Twelve-month-old Emily has slept in her parents’ bed since she was born. This custom is called

co-sleeping

The process that first detects an external stimulus is

sensation

Whenever the eyes, ears, tongue, skin, or mouth detect a stimulus a ___ hasoccured.

sensation

You see a beautiful yellow flower while walking through a meadow. Your eyes seeing the flower is a matter of ___. Your brain determinaing that the flower is yellow is a matter of ____. Imagining how the flower will look in a vase would demonstrate ____.

sensation, perception, cognition

The mental processing of sensory information is called

perception

Thinking about something that has been perceived is

cognition

At what point in development is the sense of hearing already quite acute?

at birth

In terms of visual acuity, newborns

are legally blind

The sense that is the least functional at birth is an infant’s

vision

The neonate’s vision

is clearest when objects are 4 to 30 inches away

By 3 months of age, babies lookclosely at the eyes and mouth when studing faces. This change in focus is due to

improvements in visual scanning ability

Binocular vision refers to the ability to

focus on an object with both eyes

Binocular vision appears between __ months of age

2 and 4

Due to smell recognition, babies prefer to sleep

nuzzled into their caregivers chest

Newborns’ sense of touch allows them to

be comforted by their caregiver

Gross motor skills are

large movements

Large movements that corrdinate many parts of the body are known as ___ motor skills

gross

Most infants are able to inch forward on their bellies by the age of ___ months

5

On average, children begin to walk well at approxiamately __ of age.

1 year

Between ___ months of age, most infants can lift their medsections and crawl on "all fours".

8 and 10

Renee is concerned because her son is 13 months old and is starting to walk before learning to crawl. What advice would a pediatrician give to Renee?

She should not be worried since some babies do not crawl

By ___ months of age, around 50 percent of babies can usually sit up unsupported.

6

What three factors contribute to the ability to walk?

muscle strength, brain maturation, practice

Aran’s mother has been helping him to walk by holding his hands and supporting him. Aran’s legs are string enough to hold him up, and he’s able yo move his legs in a corrdinated way as long as his mother supports him. What else does Aran need in order to walk on his own?

practice

Fine motor skills are

small movements

When they are practicing walking, babies average between __ steps per hour

500 and 1500

Small movements made by fingers and toes are known as ___ motor skills.

fine

Fine motor skills are those that ____.

require small body movements

Behvaiors that involve small body movements are known as ___ motor skills

gross

Ann-Marie started walking when she was 10 months old; Cynthis is just beginning to take steps by herself at 13 months. Which conclusuon is MOST likely true?

Both girls are developing normally

On average, which skill does an infant develop last>

standing alone without holding on

On average, which skill does an infant develop first?

walking well

Baby Sam can grab objects, but sometimes he closes his hand too early or too late. Sam is probably around ___ months old.

4

Most babies learn to grasp and hold onto objects by about __ months old.

6

Newborns perceive important experiences like breastfedding

with dynamic sensory-motor systems

At least __ billion children were born between the years 1950 and 2010.

5

Between 1950 and 2010, more than ___ children died before age 5.

5

What is one effect of lower infant mortality rates?

Mothers have fewer babies

Clean water, immunizations, and nourishing food have all had a drmatic impact on

infant and child mortality

When the immune system is primed to resist a particular disease, the process is called

immunization

For which illness is an immunization NOT available?

malaria

The most leathal disease for children in the past was

smallpox

When children are immunized, they contribute to the protection of others. This is referred to as

herd immunity

A hypothesis that has been repeatedly disproved is that the MMR vaccine causes

autism

___ is the thick, high-calorie fluid that is secreted by a new mother’s breats in the days immeadiately following birth.

breast milk

Breast milk

provides antibodies to fight diseases

Why are breast-fed babies less likely to contract infectious diseases than bottle-fed babies?

Breast milk contains antibodies

Studies comparing breast-feeding to bottle-feeding show that

breastfed babies gave fewer allergies and stomach aches

In the United States, ___ percent of babies are breast fed at birth, and __ percent are breastfed at 6 months.

75; 36

Shirley returned to full-time employment six weeks after her baby’s birth. She exclusively breast fed during her maternity leave, and then pumped her breast milk when she returned to work. Now her baby is 3 months old and drinks formula when at daycare. Shirley wants to stop breast feeding. If you were a pediatric nurse, what would you say to her?

She should keep breast feeding as long as possible since breast fed babies are less likely yo get sick

A child who is too short for his or her age due to severe malnutrition is suffering from a condition called

stunting

When a child is more than two standard deviations underweight for his age, the child is suffering from a condition called

wasting

Hasan is 2 years old and does not have enough food. As a result, he has unsual swelling in his face and abdomen, and thin, colorless hair. Hassan is suffering from

kwashiorkor

Lyrissa lives in Africa. She is 9 months old and does not weight enough due to malnutrition, Her tissues are wasting away. Lyrissa suffers from

marasmus

Based on research about SIDS, caregivers are advised that babies should be

put to sleep on their backs

Susan Beal hypothesized that ____ played a role in SIDS deaths

sleeping position