How do infants learn words for objects and how do they remember those words? Cognitive scientist, Linda Smith, of Indiana University, teamed up with a developmental psychologist and a roboticist to find the answers–they discovered that a baby’s posture and proximity to the object are critical in solving both these language acquisition problems. When a baby sees something and hears it named, their body position helps them connect these two features. Infants (and the robot) remembered the name-object even when the object was moved to a new location.
When and How Do Babies Become Helpful
When and How Do Babies Become Helpful?
Studies have shown that just seeing an image of a baby excites areas in the brain responsible for speech, movement, empathy, and reward. We adults are hardwired, whether you’re a man or a woman, to come to the aid of a baby. But what about baby, when do they start becoming helpful?
Fascinating research at McMasters University found that 14 month old babies, when danced in sync to music, were far more likely to help their partner afterwards.
20 New Infant Development Findings
Since I’ve been absent with the blog of late, here are some science findings from the last 6 months, in tweet format with links to the story, video, or research paper.
Why Babies Move in the Womb
Why do babies move about so much while they are developing in the womb? An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Trinity College Dublin found the answer.
Belief-Based Action Prediction in Babies
Based on what a baby understands is a person’s goal and belief, they predict action from the information they understand will influence that person’s behavior.