Human Nature - Babies and Prosociality
99 views · Published 30 April 2014 · 4:22 · Indexed 5 October 2026
Channel: Nick Michelioudakis · 2014 · Comedy
Are babies 'blank slates' or do they come pre-equipped with certain tendencies and predispositions? Here is a mind-blowing study carried out by Professor Paul Bloom and his colleagues. In the first phase, babies watch three geometrical shapes interacting on a screen (crucially -- they have faces!) The little sphere has difficulty going up a slope. In one scenario along comes the (good) square who helps her; in another, the (bad) triangle actually hinders her. Which of the two would you expect her to cosy up to later? In the second phase, the babies are presented with the 'actors' they have seen in the form of toys -- along with some neutral ones. Which one will they choose to play with? The friendly, helpful ones like the square or the unfriendly hinderers like the triangle? (In actual fact the colours and shapes of the stars in this mini-drama kept alternating so that they would not have an impact on the findings). Reading is one thing, but seeing is believing, so -- just watch this short clip! Amazingly, it turns out that babies have very clear ideas about what is 'right' and what is 'wrong' and which of the two they prefer. I'll give my conclusion in the words of J. Haidt: "Nature provides a first draft... which experience then revises' - 'Built-in' does not mean unmalleable; it means 'organised in advance of experience' [Haidt, J. "The Righteous Mind" -- p. 130] [NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
