0:00:00.000,0:00:01.117 [MUSIC] 0:00:01.117,0:00:05.571 Psychologists used to believe that[br]the baby human's mind was one great 0:00:05.571,0:00:07.518 blooming buzzing confusion. 0:00:07.518,0:00:12.344 [SOUND] But the baby human comes[br]into the world already equipped with 0:00:12.344,0:00:18.044 the capacity to think, reason, to learn[br]about the world, and about itself. 0:00:18.044,0:00:23.459 At the moment, two week old Heather lives[br]only in the immediate world of the senses. 0:00:24.990,0:00:28.840 Like all newborns she responds[br]to a series of stimuli. 0:00:28.840,0:00:30.220 They have no meaning for her. 0:00:31.930,0:00:35.550 Play of light and dark from[br]the window captures her interest. 0:00:36.630,0:00:40.260 Her eyesight is not developed yet[br]so this is what she sees. 0:00:43.880,0:00:48.520 The patches on the wall seem[br]to come alive and beckon her. 0:00:51.980,0:00:53.030 At this young age, 0:00:53.030,0:00:58.060 Heather has already embarked on the huge[br]task of making sense of her surroundings. 0:00:59.730,0:01:02.860 Now her eyes turn to the bars of her crib. 0:01:02.860,0:01:07.373 They look like thick stripes, just[br]the right size is for her eyes to discern. 0:01:07.373,0:01:08.894 [MUSIC] 0:01:08.894,0:01:10.956 >> [SOUND][br]>> But 0:01:10.956,0:01:15.400 what the baby human responds to[br]most of all is the human face. 0:01:17.840,0:01:22.570 Heather is gazing at the most important[br]face she's encountered so far. 0:01:22.570,0:01:26.980 At 12 inches what she see's[br]are mainly contrasts of light and 0:01:26.980,0:01:31.420 dark, where the features are. 0:01:31.420,0:01:34.910 But her clearest view is[br]from six inches away, 0:01:34.910,0:01:40.340 an easy distance to communicate[br]love between mother and child. 0:01:41.950,0:01:45.250 It seems nature has prepared[br]the baby human from birth 0:01:45.250,0:01:48.900 to pay attention to the face,[br]as if saying look carefully. 0:01:49.900,0:01:54.500 Something that looks like this is going[br]to be very important for your survival. 0:01:54.500,0:01:57.650 >> Hi there, okay are you all set? 0:01:57.650,0:02:01.928 >> A Daphne Maurer's Lab, Terry Louise is[br]part of a group studying the phenomenon of 0:02:01.928,0:02:05.588 this attraction and how it develops[br]in the first three months of life. 0:02:05.588,0:02:07.423 >> Here we go, are you ready? 0:02:07.423,0:02:11.310 >> Ten day old Dylan is shown[br]a card with two images on it. 0:02:11.310,0:02:15.830 The right side has three blobs[br]representing the rudimentary configuration 0:02:15.830,0:02:17.380 of the human face. 0:02:17.380,0:02:19.287 The left has the blobs inverted. 0:02:19.287,0:02:21.424 >> Good looking. 0:02:21.424,0:02:22.945 Very good. 0:02:22.945,0:02:27.287 >> Dylan is drawn to the image[br]that resembles the human face. 0:02:27.287,0:02:30.108 But what is it that he's attracted to? 0:02:30.108,0:02:33.266 >> Careful, I might trick you. 0:02:33.266,0:02:36.029 >> To find out they show[br]Dylan another card. 0:02:36.029,0:02:38.305 >> Okay, are you all set? 0:02:38.305,0:02:43.235 >> One side has the blurry image of[br]a face and the other side was created to 0:02:43.235,0:02:47.780 represent only the light and[br]dark contrasts of a face. 0:02:47.780,0:02:52.460 Dylan prefers to look at the side with[br]a contrast of a face, which indicates 0:02:52.460,0:02:56.740 that its not the features themselves that[br]the baby human reads at this age, but 0:02:56.740,0:03:00.090 the areas of contrast[br]created by those features. 0:03:01.150,0:03:05.798 So what two week old, Heather is[br]really fascinated with is the contrast 0:03:05.798,0:03:10.917 between light and shadow created by[br]her mother's eyes, mouth and hairline. 0:03:10.917,0:03:11.695 >> Who's there? 0:03:11.695,0:03:13.831 >> But she doesn't know yet[br]what they mean. 0:03:13.831,0:03:18.974 Back at the lab,[br]six-week old Devon is shown the same card. 0:03:18.974,0:03:21.263 >> How about these guys now? 0:03:21.263,0:03:25.884 >> Unlike Dylan, he turns to the image[br]that looks more like a face. 0:03:25.884,0:03:29.085 The other image no longer interests him. 0:03:29.085,0:03:33.631 So, what happened in those four short[br]weeks that separate Heather and Devin? 0:03:33.631,0:03:35.210 [MUSIC] 0:03:35.210,0:03:39.269 Researchers believe that this is when[br]the baby humans' higher brain centers, 0:03:39.269,0:03:42.070 which are sensitive divisional stimuli,[br]take over. 0:03:43.260,0:03:46.072 And that is what's[br]directing Devin's gaze and 0:03:46.072,0:03:48.399 begins to give meaning to what he sees. 0:03:48.399,0:03:52.548 At the same time other regions[br]of the higher brain centers 0:03:52.548,0:03:56.970 are preparing the baby human to think and[br]reason. 0:03:56.970,0:04:01.010 These exceptional capacities are what[br]set human apart from the rest 0:04:01.010,0:04:02.050 of the animal kingdom. 0:04:03.540,0:04:05.020 Gaven is eight weeks. 0:04:06.250,0:04:08.500 As he begins to interact[br]with his environment, 0:04:08.500,0:04:11.000 the world around him takes on new meaning. 0:04:13.280,0:04:16.015 He looks at his mother with new eyes. 0:04:16.015,0:04:20.950 >> [INAUDIBLE][br]>> During these critical early weeks, 0:04:20.950,0:04:24.360 new neural pathways in[br]the brain are forged. 0:04:24.360,0:04:29.100 The more things the baby human sees,[br]the more this ability surges. 0:04:34.930,0:04:38.800 At two months of age, this is what[br]Gavin's world looks like to him. 0:04:44.570,0:04:50.460 His life thus far has been a kaleidoscope[br]of sights, sounds, sensations, and smells. 0:04:53.410,0:04:56.470 But he's now beginning to make[br]connections between them. 0:04:56.470,0:04:58.780 >> Let's get this all changed for you. 0:04:58.780,0:05:01.730 >> He suddenly realized[br]a remarkable thing. 0:05:03.650,0:05:04.920 >> There you go, all clean. 0:05:04.920,0:05:08.820 >> That the sound of the voice and[br]the moving lips of his mother are related. 0:05:09.890,0:05:11.270 >> Good boy. 0:05:11.270,0:05:14.656 >> For the first time,[br]he can put together sight and sound. 0:05:14.656,0:05:17.617 [MUSIC] 0:05:17.617,0:05:20.700 Out of the chaotic flow of impressions, 0:05:20.700,0:05:24.698 he slowly realizes that[br]the world isn't one thing. 0:05:24.698,0:05:30.010 He now begins to distinguish[br]the amazing world of objects.