PSYC 273 Chapter 5: Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Document Summary
Chapter 5 reading: physical development in infancy a. Changes in body size and muscle - fat makeup. Infants and toddlers grow in spurts (not steady gains) Cephalocaudal trend- from the latin for "head to tail," during the prenatal period, the he lower part of the body. Proximodistal trend- growth proceeds, literally, from "near to far"- from the center of th. Infancy: girls are slightly shorter and lighter than boys, with a higher ratio of fat to muscl. Determined by x-raying the long bones of the body to see the extent to which soft, bone. African american children tend to be ahead of caucasian-americans in skeletal age. Neurons: nerve cells that store and transmit information; human brain has 100 to 200 bi. Synapses: tiny gaps between neurons where fibers from different neurons come close to. Neurons send messages to one another by releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters, As neurons form connections, stimulation becomes vital to their survival.
