< Return to Video

The Baby Human - Shopping Cart Study

  • 0:00 - 0:03
    Researcher: Look Ainsley,
    look at the shopping cart.
  • 0:03 - 0:08
    Narrator: At Chris Moore's lab at
    Dalhouser University, researchers developed
  • 0:08 - 0:13
    the "shopping cart study"
    to examine this question.
  • 0:13 - 0:17
    Researcher: So you can roll it up like
    that. See that? And you can push it.
  • 0:17 - 0:21
    Narrator: 15 month Ainsley is
    introduced to the shopping cart.
  • 0:21 - 0:22
    Researcher: I'm gonna
    get you to push it.
  • 0:22 - 0:25
    Narrator: After a brief demonstration,
    researchers wanted to see if Ainsley will
  • 0:25 - 0:29
    figure out how to get
    the cart to her mother.
  • 0:29 - 0:33
    Mom: Show Mommy. Bring your cart
    over here. Bring me the cart.
  • 0:35 - 0:37
    Let's push it.
  • 0:39 - 0:42
    Narrator: Ainsley
    pushes and pushes.
  • 0:42 - 0:44
    Mom: Push it over.
  • 0:44 - 0:47
    Narrator: The cart does not
    get any closer to her mother.
  • 0:47 - 0:50
    Mom: Push it, let me see.
  • 0:50 - 0:53
    Narrator: Researchers believe for
    the baby human to solve this problem,
  • 0:53 - 0:56
    they have to have a sense of self.
  • 0:56 - 1:00
    At 15 months, Ainsley has no idea
    that it is her body that is
  • 1:00 - 1:04
    preventing the cart from moving.
  • 1:04 - 1:07
    Researcher: Is that a special cart?
    That's a very special cart.
  • 1:07 - 1:10
    Narrator: Next comes
    14 month Oscar.
  • 1:10 - 1:13
    Researcher: It's just
    your size. Come show me.
  • 1:15 - 1:18
    Oscar: [unintelligible babble]
  • 1:18 - 1:22
    Narrator: He too can't
    figure out why the cart won't move.
  • 1:22 - 1:27
    Out of frustration, he tries
    to climb into the cart.
  • 1:31 - 1:36
    16 month Maria gets a bit
    closer to solving the mystery.
  • 1:36 - 1:38
    She knows it has
    something to do with the mat
  • 1:38 - 1:41
    but doesn't make the
    further connection to herself,
  • 1:41 - 1:43
    and thinks it's the mat's fault.
  • 1:45 - 1:47
    Researcher: Push it to Mama.
  • 1:47 - 1:52
    Narrator: 18 month Jonathan pushes
    once and then steps off the mat.
  • 1:52 - 1:57
    He has quickly figured out that he is the one
    who was the obstacle to moving the cart.
  • 1:57 - 2:01
    Which suggests that he is
    aware of himself and his body.
  • 2:01 - 2:05
    Researcher: Can you
    bring it over to Mommy?
  • 2:05 - 2:08
    Narrator: Abigail
    is also 18 months.
  • 2:09 - 2:14
    Researcher: Oh, you're such a good girl.
    You pushed it over to your Mom.
  • 2:14 - 2:19
    Narrator: She takes a walk to the
    front of the cart to analyze the problem.
  • 2:19 - 2:23
    It takes her no time to understand
    that if she is standing on the mat,
  • 2:23 - 2:26
    there is no way the cart can move.
  • 2:26 - 2:28
    Mom: Abby bring them the cart.
  • 2:28 - 2:31
    Narrator: Her solution
    is to roll up the mat.
  • 2:31 - 2:34
    Mom: Oh my goodness.
    Atta girl.
  • 2:34 - 2:38
    Narrator: From this, researchers have concluded
    that baby humans become aware of themselves
  • 2:38 - 2:42
    only after 18 months of life.
  • 2:42 - 2:46
    Researcher & Mom: Good girl.
Title:
The Baby Human - Shopping Cart Study
Description:

A clip from the Baby Human series on self-awareness. This is the Shopping Cart Study taken from the "To Belong" part of the program.
more » « less
Video Language:
English
Duration:
02:46

English subtitles

Revisions Compare revisions

Our website uses cookies for analysis purposes.