what do babies think?

A co-worker passed along a link to “What Do Babies Think?,” a TED talk presented by psychologist Alison Gopnik. She describes babies and young children as “the R&D division of the human species” and discusses the type of intelligence-gathering and decision-making that happens during play.

I frequently wonder what Levi is thinking, especially now that he is a day away from turning 3-months-old. Whoa! What brain synapses are forming when he is kicking under his activity mat, spinning the wooden toys on his Baby Bjorn Babysitter or listening to children’s music on Pandora? How is he being influenced by every little noise he hears or situation he sees? Will Levi be affected in some way because he’s been in the room while we’ve watched Law & Order: SVU? Project Runway?

Gopnik explains that babies understand far more than we realize. They are constantly engaging all of their senses as they observe, analyze and file away information about the world around them. My favorite line from the 18-minute video is this: “What’s it like to be a baby? It’s like being in love in Paris for the first time after you’ve had 3 double espressos.”