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Dramatic shift in processing of cognitive control between 10 and 16 months
But of course babies’ brain go through different development phases!
Yes, we know that already, but the actual research into how processing and the brain develops in human babies is pretty limited.
This is because of the many difficulties — it is hard and ethically challenging to scan babies brain at a large scale. A lot of the research into cognitive development has been done in the psychological space or using things like eye tracking technology.
This research managed to scan babies’ brains using a newer technology: something called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) which can be done with a skull cap and is hence much more practical but gives similar insights as functional magnetic resonance brain scanning (when you have to lie in a large magnetic tube).
Oh that’s interesting — and what did this research find then?
Indeed it is fascinating. Abigail Fiske et al. of the University of Bristol gave 103 toddlers a touchscreen tasks that involves inhibition i.e. resisting the urge to do something to complete the exercise.
