This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24553877
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Peek-a-boo: A window on baby's brain | Peek-a-boo: A window on baby's brain |
| (5 months later) | |
| A baby's first smile is an exciting moment. But what can it tell us about their understanding of the world? | A baby's first smile is an exciting moment. But what can it tell us about their understanding of the world? |
| Boasting about the speed of childhood development is the sport of choice for many a doting parent. | Boasting about the speed of childhood development is the sport of choice for many a doting parent. |
| From the 12-week scan right through the early years, monitoring the physical and mental progress of their pride and joy is a source of both excitement and concern. | From the 12-week scan right through the early years, monitoring the physical and mental progress of their pride and joy is a source of both excitement and concern. |
| Especially rewarding is the onset of smiles, squeals and laughter - the kind of milestones that make all the disturbed nights worth it. | Especially rewarding is the onset of smiles, squeals and laughter - the kind of milestones that make all the disturbed nights worth it. |
| But is it all just wind? | But is it all just wind? |
| Apparently not, as researchers now think that laughter and games like peek-a-boo could be telling us something more, and giving us a way to peer inside the workings of their minds. | Apparently not, as researchers now think that laughter and games like peek-a-boo could be telling us something more, and giving us a way to peer inside the workings of their minds. |
| "Laughter and smiles start incredibly early, just like tears," says Dr Caspar Addyman, a baby laughter researcher at Birkbeck College in London. | "Laughter and smiles start incredibly early, just like tears," says Dr Caspar Addyman, a baby laughter researcher at Birkbeck College in London. |
| "So this leads us to think that it's a form of communication," he told the BBC. | "So this leads us to think that it's a form of communication," he told the BBC. |
| Dr Addyman has collected nearly 700 questionnaires about baby smiles and laughter from around the world. He's still looking for more examples. | |
| He found that babies are smiling in response to pleasant feelings much earlier than expected, which can be as young as one month old. | He found that babies are smiling in response to pleasant feelings much earlier than expected, which can be as young as one month old. |
| Soon after that, at between two to four months, social smiles develop that are used specifically to engage the parents. | Soon after that, at between two to four months, social smiles develop that are used specifically to engage the parents. |
| He now hopes to take the research further and use laughter as a new way of tracking what it is that babies understand about the world around them. | He now hopes to take the research further and use laughter as a new way of tracking what it is that babies understand about the world around them. |
| The person who most greatly influenced our current view of childhood development was Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. | The person who most greatly influenced our current view of childhood development was Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. |
| Careful observations of children at different ages led him to identify four stages that everyone must go through to reach the cognitive abilities of an adult (see box). | Careful observations of children at different ages led him to identify four stages that everyone must go through to reach the cognitive abilities of an adult (see box). |
| In the earliest months of life, Piaget said that babies are only able to learn about the world by directly interacting with it through grasping, shaking and sucking. | In the earliest months of life, Piaget said that babies are only able to learn about the world by directly interacting with it through grasping, shaking and sucking. |
| With each experience, he concluded, children gradually build up a picture of how the world works - a kind of naïve physics. | With each experience, he concluded, children gradually build up a picture of how the world works - a kind of naïve physics. |
| But Dr Addyman thinks that studying babies' laughter can be just as effective at helping us pinpoint developments in the way their minds are expanding. | But Dr Addyman thinks that studying babies' laughter can be just as effective at helping us pinpoint developments in the way their minds are expanding. |
| "You can't laugh at something until you get the joke, so what they laugh at really tells us about their understanding of the world," says Addyman. | "You can't laugh at something until you get the joke, so what they laugh at really tells us about their understanding of the world," says Addyman. |
| Peek-a-boo | Peek-a-boo |
| As a result of having experienced so little, small children are for the most part quite content to accept the absurd as completely plausible. | As a result of having experienced so little, small children are for the most part quite content to accept the absurd as completely plausible. |
| Dr Addyman, who sports a crop of bright blue hair, sees this regularly with his young volunteers. | Dr Addyman, who sports a crop of bright blue hair, sees this regularly with his young volunteers. |
| "Young babies would never laugh at my hair. But older children realise there's something wrong and that makes it funny." | "Young babies would never laugh at my hair. But older children realise there's something wrong and that makes it funny." |
| The ability of children to suddenly see the funny side, Dr Addyman believes, acts to highlight much more profound developments going on deep inside their brains. | The ability of children to suddenly see the funny side, Dr Addyman believes, acts to highlight much more profound developments going on deep inside their brains. |
| The Baby Laughter Project, which has surveyed parents from more than 20 countries, has shown that games like peek-a-boo are perfect for showing one such fundamental development - object permanence. | The Baby Laughter Project, which has surveyed parents from more than 20 countries, has shown that games like peek-a-boo are perfect for showing one such fundamental development - object permanence. |
| The term describes the understanding that an object still exists, even if you can't see it. | The term describes the understanding that an object still exists, even if you can't see it. |
| Very young children don't know this, which is why babies under around six months can look shocked and startled at peek-a-boo. | Very young children don't know this, which is why babies under around six months can look shocked and startled at peek-a-boo. |
| They think that not being able to see mum or dad's face means that they've actually disappeared, making their sudden reappearance come as quite a surprise. | They think that not being able to see mum or dad's face means that they've actually disappeared, making their sudden reappearance come as quite a surprise. |
| However once a child understands (at around six- to eight-months old) that their parent is just hiding, then peek-a-boo becomes all about the anticipation of when they're going to come back. | However once a child understands (at around six- to eight-months old) that their parent is just hiding, then peek-a-boo becomes all about the anticipation of when they're going to come back. |
| Laughing as conversation | Laughing as conversation |
| "Peek a boo is all the best things. It's mummy reappearing, but it's also about shared communication," says Dr Addyman. | "Peek a boo is all the best things. It's mummy reappearing, but it's also about shared communication," says Dr Addyman. |
| "You can't help but smile and laugh when a baby starts laughing with you, which is really valuable for them developing their ability to interact with other people." | "You can't help but smile and laugh when a baby starts laughing with you, which is really valuable for them developing their ability to interact with other people." |
| A potential link between laughter and language development suggests we've thus far underestimated babies' sense of humour. | A potential link between laughter and language development suggests we've thus far underestimated babies' sense of humour. |
| Joking requires an element of taking turns as well as other skills needed for advanced interaction, like imitation and eye-contact. | Joking requires an element of taking turns as well as other skills needed for advanced interaction, like imitation and eye-contact. |
| "Children can pick up the rhythms of conversation through joking and playing games," says Dr Addyman. | "Children can pick up the rhythms of conversation through joking and playing games," says Dr Addyman. |
| In fact, smiles and laughter could be important communication tools for infants before they develop language. | In fact, smiles and laughter could be important communication tools for infants before they develop language. |
| Even primates seem to use laughter as a way of regulating social interaction. | Even primates seem to use laughter as a way of regulating social interaction. |
| "Laughter in chimps is predominantly used in play and it tends to be the youngest members of the group who have time for playing," says Dr Katie Slocombe, a primate cognition specialist at the University of York. | "Laughter in chimps is predominantly used in play and it tends to be the youngest members of the group who have time for playing," says Dr Katie Slocombe, a primate cognition specialist at the University of York. |
| "It's been shown in chimps that laughter facilitates extended play, and we can't rule out that it has some sort of role in social bonding. When a chimp laughs, it seems to encourage their play partner to continue tickling or chasing them - just like a baby keeping an adult's attention for longer," she told the BBC. | "It's been shown in chimps that laughter facilitates extended play, and we can't rule out that it has some sort of role in social bonding. When a chimp laughs, it seems to encourage their play partner to continue tickling or chasing them - just like a baby keeping an adult's attention for longer," she told the BBC. |
| So should we try harder to interpret the deeper meaning in those burbles and titters? Dr Addyman suggests a certain level of caution. | So should we try harder to interpret the deeper meaning in those burbles and titters? Dr Addyman suggests a certain level of caution. |
| "Historically, we've certainly been guilty of projecting adult interpretations about what babies are laughing at, and it's a constant danger when doing this kind of research," he says. | "Historically, we've certainly been guilty of projecting adult interpretations about what babies are laughing at, and it's a constant danger when doing this kind of research," he says. |
| "You really have to look at this scientifically and at a range of ages to really start to understand what's going on in their heads." | "You really have to look at this scientifically and at a range of ages to really start to understand what's going on in their heads." |