What Is It Like To Be A Baby? | Hacker News Reader

What Is It Like To Be A Baby?

wired.com

31 pointsrobg10 comments

Only a minor detail, but the author says the children need to learn to walk.

At some point I learned of an experiment that proved walking was an instinct, the only thing stopping a newborn from walking is the lack of support and strength. Unfortunately, I don't remember the details of the experiment. But there are many animals that walk as soon as they are born.

Is this a well-understood model of a developing brain, or is this more "cutting edge?" I ask because it seems to contradict, at least to a certain degree, the concept of "attention deficit." How can a child be attention deficit when this "deficit" seems like a normal phase of development?

I think it's more cutting edge but in light of what we're learning about the developing brain. The frontal cortex is critical for "focus" and yet it doesn't reach full maturation until 20-24 years old. We only know that, definitively, from brain scans which are still relatively new in developmental studies. And the longitudinal work just hasn't been done.

Keep in mind though that "deficit" is usually judged within ages. So a young child isn't expected to have the same focus as an adult, just within the range of other children their age. Context also matters.

If ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, does it also mean that animals see world more like babies (and vice versa)?

That's only loosely true. See: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIC6aOntogeny....

I would go further and say that "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" is misleading at best, just plain wrong at worst. Its an alluring concept that is unsupported by science.

Careful. The development of the brain in utero absolutely recapitulates phylogeny.

It would if it were true, but it's not.

Still an interesting question, though. I've seen cats focus pretty hard on certain things.

Oh yes.

When your cat crouches down and does that ass wiggle, he's pretty much driven everything else from his mind except ballistic calculations: distance to target, plotted trajectory, azimuth, elevation, etc.

It pays off though because he either catches the mouse or, if he is more relaxed, does a perfect four-point landing in your lap with a minimum of impact.

i was expecting this article to be about glenn beck

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