X
theAsianparent Philippines Logo
theAsianparent Philippines Logo
EnglishFilipino
Product GuideSign in
  • Building a BakuNation
  • Becoming a Parent
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Pregnancy
    • Delivery
    • Losing a Baby
    • Project Sidekicks
  • Ages & Stages
    • Baby
    • Toddler Years
    • Preschool Age
    • Kids
    • Preteen & Teen
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • News
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Health & Wellness
    • Diseases & Injuries
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Preschool
    • K-12
    • Special Education Needs
  • Lifestyle Section
    • Celebrities
    • Contests & Promotions
    • Home
    • Travel and Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Wellness
    • Money
  • Become a VIP
  • COVID-19
  • Press Room
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023

Babies use logic even before they learn how to talk, study says

4 min read

Do you sometimes wonder what baby thoughts are like?

Conventional wisdom tells us that our capacity for reason is rooted in language. However, a new study published recently in Science suggests that this capacity to reason logically may not just depend on language, at least not entirely. Their findings reveal that babies who are still too young to talk can reason and make rational deductions.

In other words, babies can think logically before they can talk!

The study’s authors studied infants between the ages of 12 and 19 months, a time in an infant’s life when language learning and speech production has begun, but before complex mastery of it has been achieved.

Baby thoughts and logic

baby thoughts

During the study, the children inspected distinct objects, like a dinosaur and a flower. Then, the researchers hid the items behind a black wall.

In one set of experiments, an animation would show a cup scooping up the dinosaur. Half of the time, the researchers would remove the barrier to reveal the flower that remained.

In the remaining instances, the wall would disappear to reveal that the dinosaur remained. And the kids were able to deduce that something was wrong, even if they were unable to put into words what was wrong.

Eye-tracking baby thoughts

To discover this, the researchers used a common technique to gauge mental abilities in pre-verbal children (and apes) called “eye-tracking.”

The technique showed infants stared significantly longer at scenes where the new object appeared behind the barrier. This suggests that babies experience confusion when shown unexpected and new information. 

“Our results indicate that the acquisition of logical vocabulary might not be the source of the most fundamental logical building blocks in the mind,” says lead study author Nicoló Cesana-Arlotti. Cesana-Arlotti is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department Psychological and Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.

During the study, Cesana-Arlotti and his teammates also reported infants’ pupils dilated when watching animations featuring illogical outcomes. Experts know that it also occurs in adults tasked with logic problems and provides more evidence that babies are aware of the way things “should” be.

“Their approach of using multiple trial types is very strong,” says Johns Hopkins psychologist and reason researcher Justin Halberda. He was not involved in the study but he wrote an accompanying analysis in Science about the new study.

Baby thoughts are mostly just babies talking to themselves

baby thoughts

Halberda notes that a major component of human logic relates to thinking about alternative possibilities and eliminating inconsistent ones.

For example, does the dinosaur sit behind the barrier or does the flower? In formal logical terms, it’s basically “A or B.” Not “if A, therefore B.”

“I think many people would say that most of their reasoning happens when they are silently talking to themselves in their heads,” Halberda said. “What this new study reveals is that pre-verbal infants are also working through this same type of serial reasoning, and doing so before robust language abilities have been mastered.”

Language is still vital in developing brains and baby thoughts

Cesana-Arlotti did acknowledge their findings do not deny the importance of language and symbolic communication to human brain development, especially to our evolutionary backstory.

However, the new study suggests that, perhaps, language is not completely necessary to shape the brain’s logical reasoning capacities.

Cesana-Arlotti plans to continue further in the study. He say he wants to look into how pre-verbal logic might still differ from post-verbal logic. (That is, reasoning abilities that emerge after babies learn how to talk.)

Why? Because language may open additional reasoning abilities unavailable to the speechless brain.

Baby thoughts and mental development

baby thoughts

He also hopes to look further into the mental development of young children.

“Our research aims to investigate the earliest foundations of our ability to reason logically,” he says, “a major basis for learning, creativity and flexibility in the human mind.”

“To our knowledge, nobody has ever directly documented logical reasoning in 12-month-old infants before,” he adds. “The exploration of the initial state of logic in the mind is a very exciting enterprise.”

Partner Stories
5 Tips To Challenge Your Child For His All-Around Development
5 Tips To Challenge Your Child For His All-Around Development
3 Game Changing Baby Products that’s Now Available
3 Game Changing Baby Products that’s Now Available
BATANG MATIBAY: How this OFW's 12-year-old Son Shines at School and at Home
BATANG MATIBAY: How this OFW's 12-year-old Son Shines at School and at Home
When Shopping For Tablets For Your Kids What Should Be On Your Checklist?
When Shopping For Tablets For Your Kids What Should Be On Your Checklist?

 

Source: Scientific American

YOU CAN ALSO READ: How smart will your baby be? Science says their poop has the answer!

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

Paul

Become a Contributor

  • Home
  • /
  • Baby
  • /
  • Babies use logic even before they learn how to talk, study says
Share:
  • Babies can think logically before they talk

    Babies can think logically before they talk

  • Brain development ng baby, paano nga ba matutulungan ng mga mommy?

    Brain development ng baby, paano nga ba matutulungan ng mga mommy?

  • Batang magalang: Anong gagawin mo para 'di s'ya lumaking suwail?

    Batang magalang: Anong gagawin mo para 'di s'ya lumaking suwail?

  • Mom shocked to discover second pregnancy just three months after delivery

    Mom shocked to discover second pregnancy just three months after delivery

  • Babies can think logically before they talk

    Babies can think logically before they talk

  • Brain development ng baby, paano nga ba matutulungan ng mga mommy?

    Brain development ng baby, paano nga ba matutulungan ng mga mommy?

  • Batang magalang: Anong gagawin mo para 'di s'ya lumaking suwail?

    Batang magalang: Anong gagawin mo para 'di s'ya lumaking suwail?

  • Mom shocked to discover second pregnancy just three months after delivery

    Mom shocked to discover second pregnancy just three months after delivery

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Baby Names
    • Delivery
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Advice for Parenting Kids
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Lifestyle Section
    • Local celebs
    • Celebrities
    • Money
    • News
  • FAMILY & HOME
    • Couples
    • Weekend & Holiday Guide
    • Health
  • Building a BakuNation
    • More
      • TAP Community
      • Advertise With Us
      • Contact Us
      • Become a Contributor


    • Singapore flag Singapore
    • Thailand flag Thailand
    • Indonesia flag Indonesia
    • Philippines flag Philippines
    • Malaysia flag Malaysia
    • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
    • India flag India
    • Vietnam flag Vietnam
    • Australia flag Australia
    • Japan flag Japan
    • Nigeria flag Nigeria
    • Kenya flag Kenya
    © Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
    About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
    • Tools
    • Articles
    • Feed
    • Poll

    We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

    We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

    theAsianparent heart icon
    Nais naming magpadala ng notification sa'yo tungkol sa latest news at update sa pag-aalaga ng baby at kanilang kalusugan.