1 Tabitha Meadows Dr.

Joseph Horne IT 2010-015 22 September 2013 More Than a blank Slate When looking into the eyes of a baby, it is not hard to believe their mental skills are limited to thinking about eating and sleeping. However, scientific research is beginning to show that this is not the case. In reality, the mind of a baby is a veritable beehive of developmental activity that encompasses the expanse of the brain (Ebner, 1996). In fact, those big eyes are the windows into a very smart and active brain discovering and navigating a new world. The idea, that babies are no more than defective adults due to an underdeveloped way of thinking, has been supported by scientists and philosophers (Gopnik, 2010). The philosopher John Lock believed that a babys mind was nothing more than a blank slate (Gopnik, 2009). William James, a psychologist, believed that a baby lived in booming, buzzing confusion (Gopnik, 2009). Piaget believed childrens thoughts were irrational and illogical, egocentric and precausal, lacking all understanding of cause and effect, which define a knowledgeable human being (Gopnik, 2010). In reality, children learn about the world as scientists do, by conducting experiments, analyzing data, and forming intuitive theories of the physical, biological, and psychological realms (Gopnik, 2010). The cognitive ability of a baby begins with the early development of the human brain with billions of nerve cells. The process of brain building begins at a rate of 10,000 new cell-tocell contacts every second. Therefore, synaptic plasticity, which is the biological basis of learning and memory, is actively present in infants (Ebner, 1996). As a result, babies have more

2 connections between neurons. Although none of these connections are efficient, over time, unused connections are pruned out and useful ones are strengthened (Gopnik, 2010). Babies are designed to learn through a longer childhood and must depend on others for survival (Gopnik, 2010). It is because of this that Professor Alison Gopnik states that human mental development is more like a metamorphosis than an incremental process of growth (Gottlieb, 2009). Time is needed for the materials present in an infants brain to meld into a cohesive unit. The long stage of helplessness of babies can be considered an evolutionary tradeoff, a necessary consequence of having brains wired for prodigious feats of learning and creativity (Gopnik, 2010). Studies have shown that a baby is not only equipped with the necessary materials and time needed to learn, but can actively use such learned knowledge when presented with tasks. Andrew N. Meltzoff found that upon birth, babies understand that people are special, and as a result, will imitate their facial expressions (Gopnik, 2010). Studies involving a blicket detector, show that children and babies have an amazing ability to learn from statistical patterns and use those statistics to draw conclusions about their present world (Gopnik, 2010). Research shows that spontaneous play of babies and children is their way of exploring cause and effect through experimentation with their environment (Gopnik, 2010). Also, a babys lack of prefrontal control allows them to comprehend more than what is possible by an adult. The prefrontal area inhibits irrelevant thoughts and actions. The fact that babies are uninhibited attributes to a babys ability to explore more freely than adults (Gopnik, 2010). Ultimately, what babies observe most clearly, explore most obsessively, and imagine most vividly are the people that surround them (Gopnik, 2009). Natural attention and interaction is critical to melding the materials present within a babys mind. Babies automatically

3 imagine another persons experiences, grasp cause and effect, conduct personal experiments, and learn about their surrounding world in creative ways (Gopnik, 2010). It is important to understand that babies are smarter than we originally thought. If this idea is not understood then a babys growth could ultimately be harmed as a result.

4 Resources Ebner, F. F. (1996). Teaching the brain to learn. Peabody Journal Of Education, 71(4), 143-151. Gopnik, A. (2009, August 16). Your baby is smarter than you think. New York Times, p. 10. Gopnik, A. (2010). How babies think. Scientific American, 303(1), 76-81.