| cell death | In brain development, normal elimination of excess cells to achieve more efficient functioning. 145
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| central nervous system | Brain and spinal cord. 140
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| Denver Developmental Screening Test | Screening test given to children age 1 month to 6 years to determine whether they are developing normally. 152
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| depth perception | Ability to perceive objects and surfaces in three dimensions. 154
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| differentiation | Process by which cells acquire specialized structure and function. 145
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| dynamic systems theory (DST) | Thelen's theory that holds that motor development is a dynamic process of active coordination of multiple systems within the infant in relation to the environment. 155
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| ecological theory of perception | Theory developed by Eleanor and James Gibsonthat describes developing motor and perceptual abilities as interdependent parts of a functional system that guides behavior in varying contexts. 154
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| fine motor skills | Physical skills that involve the small muscles and eye-hand coordination. 152, 241
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| gross motor skills | Physical skills that involve the large muscles. 152, 241
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| haptic perception | Ability to acquire information about properties of objects, such as size, weight, and texture, by handling them. 154
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| infant mortality rate | Proportion of babies born alive who die within the 1st year. 157
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| integration | Process by which neurons coordinate the activities of muscle groups. 145
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| lateralization | Tendency of each of the brain's hemispheres to have specialized functions. 142
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| myelination | Process of coating neurons with myelin, a fatty substance that enables faster communication between cells. 146
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| neurons | Nerve cells. 142
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| nonorganic failure to thrive | In infancy, lack of appropriate growth for no known medical cause, accompanied by poor developmental and emotional functioning. 162
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| plasticity | Modifiability of the brain through experience. 18, 147
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| reflex behavior | Automatic, involuntary, innate response to stimulation. 147
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| shaken baby syndrome | Form of maltreatment in which shaking an infant or toddler can cause brain damage, paralysis, or death. 162
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| sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) | Sudden and unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant. 157
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| systems of action | Increasingly complex combinations of motor skills that permit a wider or more precise range of movement and more control of the environment. 151, 242
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| visual cliff | Apparatus designed to give an illusion of depth and used to assess depth perception in infants. 154
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| visual guidance | Use of the eyes to guide movements of the hands or other parts of the body. 153
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