What do we KNOW at birth ?

KNOW?

I don't think it makes any sense to say of a newborn that they KNOW anything.

The best thinking is that there ARE aspects of our personality that are inborn. They are traits that don't vary much over the course of people's lives. And it's pretty clear that aptitudes are inborn -- there are things that some people just pick up easily and are really good at naturally.

Habits? How can someone who hasn't lived or done anything have HABITS? I mean, there's crying when hungry or distressed, if you want to call that a habit.

One way that newborns vary is how easily they cry, and how easily they are soothed. It's hard to find out much else about such young humans.

There ARE studies of babies (though later than newborns). For instance, they can figure out what babies understand of physics, by showing things, and seeing if the baby is startled. At what age are babies startled by a thing that seems to hover in air with no visible support, for instance?

And there's a whole host of what I call "bore the baby" studies. In one, you show a series of pictures of girls. At first, the baby will look with interest at each picture. Over time, they get bored, and quickly look away at the next picture.

Now, show them a boy. If they stare longer than they have been, scientists conclude that they experience the boy as "new" or "different." That is, that babies that age distinguish boys from girls.

Dunno if any of this helps with your question.

Edited to add: You might try surfing around using "cognitive psychology" as a search term. There's also "developmental psychology" that might yield stuff of interest.

We know when we're hungry, We know when we're tired, We know when we're uncomfortable. We know when we have a smelly diaper/nappy. We learn anger, habits, patience, from other people as we get older.

To add to what Blizzard said. Scientist have done years and years of research to conclude what Blizzard had said.

Please answer:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201112...