The Scientist in the Crib

The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind describes research into how babies view the world and learn. The authors, Alison Gopnik, Andrew N. Meltzoff, Patricia K. Kuhl have researched the psychology and speech patterns of infants. The book describes experimental observations and what they reveal about the human mind.

For example, you’ve probably heard that Japanese adults cannot distinguish between the ‘r’ and ‘l’ sounds, just as other sounds that are distinct in certain languages sound the same to English speakers. Researchers tested whether Japanese babies could notice the difference between ‘r’ and ‘l’; the babies became more attentive when the sounds they heard changed. Seven-month old babies could tell the difference, and in fact could distinguish any two sounds that are considered different in any language. However, ten-month old Japanese babies could no longer hear any difference.

Results like these provide insight into basic questions of human nature. For example, newborns who are a less than a day old can imitate an adult who sticks at their tongue or opens their mouth. That action implies an understanding of the visual images the baby perceives and physical acts the baby performs. Many theories of infancy wouldn’t allow a response so soon.

The book’s main weakness is that the authors take too long to make some basic points. Its title refers to similarities between the ways babies and scientists learn about the world. That’s a reasonable analogy, but I didn’t need several pages explaining it. Since I’ve read several books on related topics, The Scientist in the Crib was written at too basic of a level for me. A less technical audience would appreciate it more.