Science Nation - Babies and Learning

Are we pre-wired to know right from wrong or are we blank slates who learn solely by our exposure to the environment? The question isn't new, but by studying the behavior of newborns, psychologist Karen Wynn of Yale University believes she can get us closer to the answer. With support from the National Science Foundation, she is investigating the role an infant's social preferences play in how they learn from other people. Wynn and her team put on puppet shows for infants, with characters that display both pro-social and anti-social behavior. So far, the babies almost always prefer the nicer puppets to the mean ones, indicating we may be born with an innate preference for pro-social behavior.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• National
• Science
• Foundation
• NSF
• babies
• learning
• infants
• mothers
• newborns
• psychology
• sociology
• science
• nation
• Miles
• O'Brien
• Yale
• Karen
• Wynn
• innate
• social
• anti-social
• right
• from
• wrong

[lovelplants]

it's hard to interact with babies.. only mother knows best..

[happinesson]

There are undesirable behavior that needs a professional help or a big heart to understand. But the way the experiment goes, babies treated the bad characters differently. Maybe it is more appropriate to teach and train our kids on how to deal with different kinds of behavior and our differences.

[donaldmcscrooge]

Hey everyone,

My friend is an aspiring techy and has entered an innovations idea competition. He has a chance to be trained and mentored by tech industry business leaders if his idea is voted into the semi-finals. You can help him reach his dreams.

If you can, go to his video at "/watch?v=ukawhPLV3AE" please and give it a thumbs up "Like" as that is how eight semi-finals will be chosen.

Thanks!

[eoriol1955]

If the question was asked by a child,I apologize.If it was asked by an adult,I am sticking to my opinion.What was phrased as a question,actually was not because it answered itself when stating that the parents would be sending a certain message to the child based on the scenario presented.Sounds like the question may have been asked by a kid going through a divorce.If that's the case,I apologize to the kid ...Not the bum who replied.

[CHILDpsychology01]

@eoriol1955

Read what the person is asking very carefully, they are asking a question, not assuming, nor drawing a conclusion... (in addition, you're responding with an opinion and assuming many things, ie that the child is normal... all this clearly displays you have no idea what they are asking and no knowledge on the subject).

[eoriol1955]

@passionx

That is pure hogwash.....Why would a normal child assume that the reason the good person disappeared was because the person was bad?Your conclusion is both illogical and immoral.Your scenario will only teach the child that nothing last forever in the world.

[passionx]

What damage to a child do you suppose will result from this scenario:

A child from birth interacts with a large family... the child distinguishes a good loving family member and instinctively develops a strong healthy bond to that one specific member... then at age 5 the parents abruptly detach them from that person and explain (lie) to them this person is not good?

[passionx]

This is a very interesting study... how can I contact the individuals who made this study?

[eoriol1955]

BY the way,this should do away with the stupid argument that people need religion in order to know right from wrong.Religion is what corrupts the human spirit.

[chestbuster1987]

Based on evolution, this makes sense. Individuals who exhibit more positive social behavior, within a social group, are more likely to survive.