Canalization
The tendency of heredity to restrict the development of some characteristics to just one or a few outcomes, ensuring that children develop normally across a wide range of environments.
Experience-expectant brain development
The young brain’s rapidly developing organization, which depends on ordinary experiences—opportunities to explore the environment, interact with people, and hear language and other sounds.
The Dynamic Systems Theory of Development
A perspective that views the child’s mind, body, and physical and social worlds as an integrated system that guides mastery of new skills.
Kwashiorkor
A wasted condition of the body caused by a diet very low in protein, characterized by an enlarged abdomen, swelling of the feet, and hair loss.
Experience-dependent brain development
Growth and refinement of established brain structures as a result of specific, individual learning experiences that vary widely across individuals and cultures.
Infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)
A neuroimaging technique that works by beaming infrared light at the cerebral cortex to measure blood flow and oxygen metabolism while the child is active.
Marasmus
A wasted condition of the body caused by a diet low in all essential nutrients, usually appearing in the first year of life and leading to a skeletal appearance.
[Image comparing Kwashiorkor and Marasmus symptoms]
