The Baby Human

From the moment we are born, we are in motion. What we gradually learn is how to control those movements. During the first 18 months, a child's body changes dramatically, so it will take some time before a newborn will be able to stand on his or her own two feet. However, before we learn how to walk, we must learn how to crawl.

The infant lives in the immediate world of the senses, all of which are gathering information. Something inside is already beginning to process the impressions. The child may look helpless, but it comes with built-in capacities. They soon discover that there are predictable laws in the universe and that their reach should exceed their grasp.

Babies are born citizens of the world with the capacity to learn and communicate in any language. They actually begin to learn language while still in the womb. They come into the world ready to communicate and needing to do so. In a world full of sounds, the infant can distinguish speech from non-speech. They are riveted by the sound of a voice and prefer it above all other sounds.

Babies aren't good at hiding their feelings. Long before they start talking, their emotions burst out in a range of gestures: tears, grimaces, smiles, and giggles. Just as the physical and thinking parts of an infant develop in the early months of life, so, too, does the emotional landscape that shapes personality and guides experience.

From the moment of birth, the baby human is primed for a social life. The newborn responds to human voices, is drawn to human faces, and mimics human expressions. An infant's cries signal the need for touch, food, comfort, and safety. Meeting these needs represents social exchanges between mother and baby that influence the development of future friendships and intimate relationships.

Of all the creatures in the animal kingdom, humans are alone in their astonishing ability to understand the feelings, desires, beliefs, and intentions of others. In the field of infant development, no area is more fascinating than the study of both what children know about the minds of others and when they begin to know it.