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Babies- a Blank Slate or a Moral Creature?

by Jennifer Asimow

Several months ago I saw this clip on 60 Minutes…

It got me thinking about how much babies already know even thought they can’t necessarily communicate that knowledge to us in ways that we readily understand.

This reminds us all that babies are watching us and our every move. They interpret human interactions as positive and negative and naturally choose positive role models and behaviors over negative ones.

It is important to remember that whenever we are around children, even the youngest children, adult conversations should not happen over their heads, or in their proximity. They are listening and learning, watching and experiencing, and ultimately developing into the people they will be.

A few weeks after that episode aired on 60 Minutes, my son showed me a book review from the New York Times about this very research. The book is called Just Babies, The Origins of Good and Evil, by Paul Bloom. Read about it here. I hope to read it this spring, so I will let you know what I thing. I will be out in Connecticut at the end of the month and I am planning on visiting the Infant Research Lab that is shown in the clip. I can’t wait!

One Reply to “Babies- a Blank Slate or a Moral Creature?”

  1. I agree this is an interesting debate. Many will agree that children are a blank slate awaiting information. However, I find that it is the culture of socialization that determines and suggest \”the norm\”. My belief lies in the fact that as our society becomes more integrated. it is important that we are more intentional in helping young children learn, decipher, grasp, and respect differences in all people.

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