Word of Mom | Baby

Newborns Demonstrate Surprising Self Awareness

Newborn self-awareness

It's hard to imagine that uncoordinated, perpetually drowsy newborns understand much about their existence. But researchers are realizing that even brand-new babies exhibit a sense of self-awareness that may be critical for development.

According to NBC News, scientists at the University of London tested 40 newborns between 12 hours and four days old. Experimenters held the babies on their laps in front of a computer screen. The infants were shown a baby's face (either upside down or right side up) being stroked with a paintbrush, while another experimenter actually stroked the baby's face either in sync with the video or offset by five seconds.

The researchers carefully measured the amount of time each infant looked at the screen. That's the standard way to gauge infant reaction, since babies can't give verbal or gesture responses to questions. In this experiment, a longer looking time may indicate a greater sense of body awareness.

Results showed that babies in this experiment looked longest at the screen where the visual cues matched what they felt on their own faces. Infants didn't seem to associate upside down images with their bodies, nor did they respond favorably to the delayed stroking.

Researchers concluded that multiple senses (in this case, sight and touch) are important for building awareness, and babies seem to come with the basic mechanisms already in place. The findings have interesting implications for how body perception is tied to development.

This research doesn't surprise me. Even babies in the womb can indicate some measure of awareness. They can respond to different voices, show preferences for specific sounds, and even react to light and movement patterns. I think the rudiments of awareness begin long before birth.

It makes sense. In terms of evolution, our species' survival has always depended on accurate, rapid processing of sensory input from the world around us. That sort of fine-tuned ability doesn't happen overnight.

And when that sense of self-awareness goes awry, it's tough to exist. My oldest daughter has suffered with symptoms of Sensory Integration Dysfunction, a condition in which the brain can't correctly process sensory information. The result? My daughter walks into walls, trips over her own feet, and struggles to relate to other people. She has only limited awareness of her own body (called proprioception), let alone being able to empathize with kids her age.

I'm glad to see research like this, probing into the beginnings of sensory development and how it progresses. Perhaps fewer children in the future will have to suffer with disorders that might be treated from birth, or even prevented in the womb.

What do you think of this research? Have any of your children struggled with issues of awareness? Share thoughts below!

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

3 More Things to Read:

Early Warning Signs of Autism

Sensory Activities for Toddlers

Self-Recognition in Toddlers


Nicole Stevens

nicole stevens