About Infant Brain Research

In laboratories around the world, groups of scientists are performing research on infants' brains and their development. These researchers are investigating important questions about what happens to young minds during the first year of life.

History

• Scientific research has helped eliminate some previously held misconceptions about infant brains, like the idea that all infants are born blind and cannot feel pain. Actually, they are short-sighted and do respond to pain.

Methods

• Because infants cannot speak, scientists must track their brain activity without relying on verbal responses. Instead, researchers observe infants' nonverbal responses and use tools such as sensor nets with electrodes.

Harvard Lab

• Harvard University is home to one of the primary laboratories for infant brain research, the Laboratory for Developmental Studies. There, cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke leads a team of scientists studying how babies' minds work.

Nature

• Infants seem to have an innate understanding of many things. For instance, Koleen McCrink, another researcher at the Harvard lab, has found that some babies are able to add and subtract when as young as 6 months old, the Daily Telegraph in London reports.

Nurture

• Researchers also continue to investigate how caregiver behavior and other environmental factors contribute to infant brain development. According to Sara Gable, a human development specialist at the University of Missouri Extension, and intern Melissa Hunting, babies benefit from environments that stimulate their senses and caregivers who are sensitive and responsive.