Myelination
the process by which axons become coated with myelin, a fatty substance that speeds the transmission of nerve impulses from neuron to neuron
Corpus Callosum
A long, thick band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain and allows communication between them.
Lateralization
Literally, sidedness. The specialization in certain functions by each side of the brain, with one side dominant for each activity. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa
Perseveration
The tendency to persevere in, or stick to, one thought or action for a long time.
Amygdala
a tiny brain structure that registers emotions, particularly fear and anxiety
Hippocampus
a brain structure that is a central processor of memory, especially memory for locations
Hypothalamus
a brain area that responds to the amygdala and the hippocampus to produce hormones that activate other parts of the brain and body
Preoperational Intelligence
Piaget's term for cognitive development between the ages of about 2 and 6; it includes languages and imagination but logical, operational thinking is not yet possible.
Centration
a characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child focuses (centers) on one idea, excluding all others
Egocentrism
Piaget's term for children's tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective
Focus on Appearance
a characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child ignores all attributes that are not apparent.
Static Reasoning
a characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child thinks that nothing changes. Whatever is now has always been and always will be
Irreversibility
a characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child thinks that nothing can be undone. A thing cannot be restored to the way it was before a change occurred
Conversation
The principle that the amount of a substance remains the same (i.e., is conserved) when its appearance changes.
Animism
The belief that natural objects and phenomena are alive.
Apprentice in Thinking
Vygotsky's term for a person whose cognition is stimulated and directed by older and more skilled members of society
Zone of Proximal Development
Vygotsky's term for the skills--cognitive as well as physical--that a person can exercise only with assistance, not yet independently.
Scaffolding
temporary support that is tailored to a learner's needs and abilities and aimed at helping the learner master the next task in a given learning process
Private Speech
the internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves (either silently or out loud)
Social Mediation
human interaction that expands and advances understanding, often through words that one person uses to explain something to another
Theory-Theory
The idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear.
Theory of Mind
A person't theory of what other people might be thinking. In order to have a theory of mind, children must realize that other people are not necessarily thinking the same thoughts that they themselves are. That realization is seldom achieved before age 4.
Fast-Mapping
the speedy and sometimes imprecise way in which children learn new words by tentatively placing them in mental categories according to their perceived meaning.
Overregularization
The application of rules of grammar even when exceptions occur, making the language seem more "regular" than it actually is.
Reggio Emilia approach
a famous program of early- childhood education that originated in the town of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and taht encourages each child's creativty in a carefully designed setting
Project Head Start
The most widespread early-childhood education program in the United States, begun in 1965 and funded by the federal government.
injury control/harm reduction
Practices that are aimed at anticipating, controlling, and preventing dangerous activities; these practices reflect the beliefs that accidents are not random and that injuries can be made less harmful if proper controls are in place.
Primary Prevention
Actions that change overall background conditions to prevent some unwanted event or circumstance, such as injury, disease, or abuse
Secondary Prevention
actions that avert harm in a high-risk situation, such as stopping a car before it hits a pedestrian.
Tertiary Prevention
actions, such as immediate and effective medical treatment, that are taken after an adverse event such as illness or injury occurs, and are aimed at reducing the harm or preventing disability.
Child Maltreatment
intentional harm to or avoidable endangerment of anyone under 18 years of age
Child Abuse
Deliberate action that is harmful to a child's physical, emotional, or sexual well-being
Child Neglect
failure to meet a child's basic physical, educational, or emotional needs
Substantiated Maltreatment
harm or endangerment that has been reported, investigated, and verified
Permanency Planning
An effort by authorities to find a long-term living situation that will provide stability and support for a maltreated child. A goal is to avoid repeated changes of caregiver or school, which can be particularly harmful for the child.
Foster care
a legal, publicly supported system in which a maltreated child is removed from the parents' custody and entrusted to another adult or family, which is reimbursed for expenses incurred in meeting the child's needs.
Kinship care
A form of foster care in which a relative of a maltreated child, usually a grandparent, becomes the approved caregiver