Little Brains Big Research

Little Brains Big Research

 

By Paula Bock / ©2005,

The Seattle Times, Knight¹ Ridder Newspapers.

Distributed by Tribune Media Services International.

 

Research reveals more of what happens inside an infant’s little mind

 

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What do babies know, and when do they learn it? When is the best time for them to learn a language?

 

Baby-brain research is now hot—a topic that has landed researchers millions in funding, appearances on talk shows and even invitations to the White House for conferences on early childhood education.

 

Another measure of the field’s rise: The University of Washington last year devoted² prime real estate to the new Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS). Considered a top lab of its kind, I-LABS collaborates⁴ with scientists in 40 countries, pulling in more than $4 million in funding last year.

 

Technological⁵ advances enable scientists to precisely⁶ tell what babies watch, how they sort sounds, when “critical windows” of learning open and close, and what infants understand about other people’s actions, likes, dislikes and intentions.

 

Baby experiments

 

At I-LABS, professors Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff—leading scientists in the field of baby-brain research—conduct experiments to figure out what babies know and when they learn it. Would just-born babies imitate an adult when he stuck his tongue out? Yes! Without ever seeing their own faces, newborns come into the world knowing they are like other humans. This discovery demonstrated that babies make a connection between themselves and others, right from the moment of birth.

 

“We’re a role model for babies from the moment they look up at us and begin to sculpt⁷ their own activities according to what they see in the culture around them,” Meltzoff says. This shook the foundations of developmental psychology⁸. The traditional view held that newborns came into the world with no knowledge of other people.

 

Kuhl—considered the world’s leading authority on speech development—believes a baby is a scientific miracle, the best learning machine on the planet. They’re quick to recognize and manipulate the social cues that govern everything from war to animal cookies.

 

Vocabulary Focus

land (v) [lAnd] to get or achieve something desirable

collaborate³ (v) [kE5lAbEreit] to work together or with someone else for a special purpose

role model (n) a person one admires and whose behavior one tries to copy

manipulate (v) [mE5nipjuleit] to manage or handle something, especially in a skillful manner

 

Specialized⁹ Terms

field (n) 专业领域；活动范畴 an area of activity or interest

critical window (n) 关键时期 an important period of time when there is an opportunity to do something

social cue (n) 社交暗示 something that triggers a response or type of behavior that is acceptable among members of society

小脑袋，大学问

许美鸾 译

 

研究揭露了更多婴儿小脑袋中的奥妙

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婴儿知道什么？何时知道的？何时是他们学习语言的最佳时机？

婴儿智力研究现在十分热门，这个主题已让研究者获得数百万元的经费、得以出席谈话性节目，甚至应邀至白宫参加关于幼儿教育的会议。

另一个估量此一领域兴起的指针是，华盛顿大学去年将最好的不动产提供给新设立的学习与智力科学研究中心（简称 I-LABS）使用。I-LABS 堪称是同类中首屈一指的实验室，它与40个国家的科学家们合作，去年募得超过400万美元的经费。

科技的进步使科学家得以准确地知道婴儿会看什么、如何区别声音、学习的“关键时期”何时开启与关闭，以及婴儿对他人的行为、喜好、厌恶和意图有何了解。

 

婴儿实验

帕特丽夏·卡尔和安德鲁·梅尔佐夫两位教授是婴儿智力研究领域科学家中的领军人物，他们在 I-LABS 进行实验以了解婴儿知道什么与何时知道。当成人伸出舌头时，新生儿会不会模仿？会！新生儿虽然从未看过自己的脸，但出生时就知道自己和其它人是相似的。这项发现显示婴儿从出生那一刻，就把自己和其它人连结起来。

“从婴儿仰视我们，并依循触目所及的周围文化开始塑造自己的行为时，我们就是他们的榜样。”梅尔佐夫说。这个说法动摇了发展心理学的基础：传统观点认为新生儿出生时对他人毫无概念。

卡尔被公认是语言发展方面的世界性领先权威，她认为婴儿是一个科学方面的奇迹，是地球上最好的学习机器。他们很快就能辨识事物和操控社交暗示，这类暗示左右了从战争到动物饼干的大小事物。

1 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

2 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

3 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

4 collaborates   

合作( collaborate的第三人称单数 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Third, main economy Central Bank collaborates to cut the interest rate. 第三，主要经济体央行联手降低利率。
• Any one who collaborates should be shot. 与敌人勾结者一律枪决。

5 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

6 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

7 sculpt   

n.雕刻，雕塑，雕刻品，雕塑品

参考例句：

• When I sculpt,my style is expressionistic.我的雕刻风格是表现主义。
• Then,sculpt the remaining fringe parting.然后雕刻剩余的边缘部分。

8 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

9 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。