Scientists Suggest Novel Method to Determine Onset of Infant Consciousness

Main summary

When do humans become conscious throughout development?

When 17th-century French philosopher René Descartes was asked by his critics about infant consciousness, he eventually suggested that babies might have thoughts, albeit simpler ones than those of adults. Hundreds of years later, the question of when humans become conscious remains a challenge for psychologists and philosophers alike.

But now, in response to a recent article in Trends in Cognitive SciencesTwo academics from the University of Birmingham have suggested an improved way to help scientists and researchers identify when babies become conscious.

In a letter to the editor, also published in Trends in Cognitive SciencesDr. Henry Taylor, associate professor of philosophy, and Andrew Bremner, professor of developmental psychology, have explored a new approach being proposed, which involves identifying markers of consciousness in adults and then measuring when infants begin to exhibit greater number of these. Developing.

Dr Taylor says:

“For example, let’s imagine that in adults we know that a certain very specific behavior, or a specific pattern of brain activation, always comes along with consciousness. So if we can identify when this behavior or brain activation arises in babies, we have good “There are reasons to think that this is when consciousness arises in babies. “Behaviors and brain activations like this are what we call ‘markers’ of consciousness.”

This type of approach is desperately needed since babies (unlike adults) cannot tell what they are aware of. Professor Bremner said:

“It is really difficult to establish when babies become conscious. This is mainly because babies cannot report their experiences and, as most parents will know, they can be quite uncooperative, especially when it comes to experimental tasks. As We can’t simply ask “When babies become conscious, the best approach is to try to identify a wide range of markers of consciousness, which appear in early and late development, and then group them together, this could help us identify when consciousness emerges.” .

In a recent paper, researchers (Professor Tim Bayne and colleagues) suggested four specific markers of consciousness, some of which are present in late gestation and others found in early childhood. Based on this, the study maintains that consciousness emerges early (from the last prenatal trimester).

But Professor Bremner and Dr Taylor say this ignores other markers of consciousness. Previous research has identified a separate group of markers. These include:

• Point (draw the attention of a social partner to an object and check it).
• Intentional control (intentional coordination of actions between means and ends; for example, pulling on a support to retrieve a distal object).
• Explicit memory (delayed imitation of actions).

Dr. Taylor said:

“One of the complicated issues is that not all markers seem to point to the same age for the emergence of consciousness. Those mentioned by Bayne and his colleagues suggest somewhere between the third trimester of pregnancy and early childhood, but other markers suggest the age could be around a year. In fact, at the really extreme end, some markers only emerge around age 3 or 4. Because there are so many different markers of consciousness that appear in early and late development, it is extremely difficult to reach a conclusion.”

Professor Bremner concluded:

“We propose that a broad approach to markers is needed, including those that emerge in the early and late stages. We also recommend that a variety of developmental models of the onset of consciousness be considered. For example, it may be that some markers emerge in “one group in early development, with others in a later group. In addition to this, there may be a continuous and gradual emergence of certain markers that extends during gestation and during the first years of life.”

“We believe that by bringing together this wide selection of markers, we will finally be able to answer the question that has been pondering for thousands of years. But it is important to note that the answer may not be simple!”

University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is ranked among the top 100 institutions in the world. Its work attracts people from all over the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 8,000 international students from more than 150 countries.

Attribution/Source(s):

This peer-reviewed publication from our Medical Research News section was selected for circulation by the editors of Disabled World because of its likely interest to readers in our disability community. Although content may have been edited for style, clarity, or length, the article “Scientists suggest a novel method to determine the onset of childhood consciousness” was originally written by the University of Birmingham and submitted for publication on 03/22/2024 (Editing update: 03/23/2024). If you require further information or clarification, you can contact the University of Birmingham on birmingham.ac.uk website. Disabled World makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

📢 Discover related topics

👍 Share this information with:
𝕏.com Facebook Reddit

Page information, citations and disclaimer

Disabled World is an independent disability community founded in 2004 to provide disability news and information to disabled people, older people, their families and/or carers. You can connect with us on social media like X.com and ours Facebook page.

Permanent link: Scientists suggest novel method to determine onset of infant consciousness

Cite this page (APA): University of Birmingham. (2024, March 22). Scientists suggest a novel method to determine the onset of childhood consciousness. Disabled world. Retrieved March 24, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/news/research/consciente.php

Disabled World provides general information only. The materials presented are never intended to be a substitute for qualified professional medical care. Any third party offers or advertisements do not constitute an endorsement.