| A | B |
|---|
| middle childhood | The period between early childhood and early adolescence, approximately from ages 7 to 11. |
| asthma | A chronic disease of the respiratory system in which inflammation narrows the airways from the nose and mouth to the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing. |
| body mass index (BMI) | The ratio of weight to height, calculated by dividing a person's body weight in kilograms by the square of his or her height in meters. |
| overweight | In an adult, having a BMI of 25 to 29. |
| obesity | In an adult, having a BMI of 30 or more. |
| concrete operational thought | Piaget's term for the ability to reason logically about direct experiences and perceptions. |
| classification | The logical principle that things can be organized into groups (or categories or classes) according to some characteristic they have in common. |
| knowledge base | A body of knowledge in a particular area that makes it easier to master new information in that area. |
| information-processing theory | A perspective that compares human thinking processes, by analogy, to computer analysis to data, including sensory input, connection, stored memories, and output. |
| selective attention | The ability to concentrate on some stimuli while ignoring others. |
| automatization | A process in which repetion of a sequence of thoughts and actions makes the sequence routine, so that it no longer requires conscious thought. |
| reaction time | The time it takes to respond to a stimulus, either physically (with a reflexive movement such as an eye blink) or cognitively (with a thought). |
| sensory memory | The component of the information-process system in which incoming stimulus information is stored for a split second to allow it to be processed. |
| working memory | The component of the information-processing system in which current, conscious mental activity occurs. |
| long-term memory | The component of the information-processing system in which virtually limitless amounts of information can be stored indefinitely. |
| metacognition | "Thinking about thinking"; the ability to evaluate a cognitive task in order to determine how best to accomplish it, and then to monitor and adjust one's performance on that task. |
| metamemory | The ability to understand how memory works in order to use it well. |
| hidden curriculum | The unofficial, unstated, or implicit rules and priorities that influence the academic curriculum and every other aspect of learning in school. |
| English-language learner (ELL) | A child who is learning English as a second language. |
| phonics approach | Teaching reading by first teaching the sounds of each letter and of various letter combinations. |
| whole-language approach | Teaching reading by encouraging early use of all language skills-talking and listening, reading and writing. |
| aptitude | The potential to master a specific skill or learn a certain body of knowledge. |
| IQ test | A test designed to measure intellectual aptitude, or ability to learn in school. |
| achievement test | A measure of mastery or proficiency in reading, mathematics, writing, science, or some other subject. |
| Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) | An IQ test designed for school-age children. The test assesses potential in many areas, including vocabulary, general knowledge, memory, and spatial comprehension. |
| Flynn Effect | The rise in average IQ scores that has occurred over the decades in developed nations. |
| mental retardation | Literally, slow or late, thinking. |
| No Child Left Behind Act | A U.S. law passed by Congress in 2001 that was intended to increase accountability in education by requiring standardized tests to measure school achievement. |
| Mation Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) | An ongoing and nationally representative measure of children's achievement in reading, mathematics, and other subjects over time. |
| Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) | Inaugurated in 2001, a planned five-year cycle of international trend studies in the reading ability of fourth-graders. |
| Trends in Math and Science Study (TIMSS) | An international assessment of the math and science skills of fourth-and eighth-graders. |
| Children with special needs | Children who, because of a physical or mental disability, requires extra help in order to learn. |
| developmental psychopathology | The field that uses insights into typical development to study and treat developmental disorders, and vice versa. |
| Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-R) | The American Psychiatric Association's official guide to the diagnosis (not treatment) of mental disorders. |
| attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) | A condition in which a person not only has great difficulty concentrating for more than a few moments but also is inattentive, impulsive, and overactive. |
| comorbidity | The presence of two or more unrelated disease conditions at the same time in the same person. |
| learning disability | A marked delay in a particular area of learning that is not caused by an apparent physical disability, by mental retardation, or by an unusually stressful home environment. |
| dyslexia | Unusual difficulty with reading; thought to be the result of some neurological underdevelopment. |
| austistic spectrum disorder | Any of several disorders characterized by inadequate social skills, unusual communication, and abnormal play. |
| autism | A developmental disorder marked by an inability to relate to other people normally, extreme self-absorption, and an inability to acquire normal speech. |
| asperger syndrome | A specific type of autistic spectrum disorder characterized by extreme attention to details and deficient social understanding. |
