What motivates infants to learn?
Curiosity and a preset brain ready to understand the world.
What is gaze-following?
Infants instinctively follow adult eye movement to find important objects or events.
What is the APA recommendation for screen time under age 2?
None.
What are secondary circular reactions?
Interactions between the baby and environment, showing intentional responses.
What happens in Stage 3 of sensorimotor intelligence (4–8 months)?
Infants try to make interesting events last.
What happens in Stage 4 (6–12 months)?
Infants show goal-directed behavior and anticipation.
What is object permanence?
The understanding that objects still exist even when they can’t be seen.
What are typical communication milestones in infants?
Newborn: Reflexive cries
2 months: Cooing/laughing
6–10 months: Babbling
10–12 months: Gestures and simple word comprehension
When does pointing typically begin?
Around 10 months.
What is the ‘naming explosion’?
Rapid vocabulary growth after learning ~50 words, usually around 18–21 months.
What does Behaviorism say about language learning?
Infants learn through reinforcement and repetition.
What does the social interaction theory propose?
Language develops from social impulses and emotional connection.
What is Chomsky’s nativist theory?
Language is innate, and infants have a Language Acquisition Device (LAD).
What does the hybrid theory suggest?
Multiple theories together explain language development at different stages.
