They chirp, trudge everywhere, fidget, smile, cry, but ultimately are they able to think? “Ils”these are the babies. For its 99th episode, Sixth Science, you podcast from Science and Future et 20 minutes, explains how scientists multiply original experiments in order to detect the emergence of consciousness in toddlers.
Search in the baby for cognitive phenomena present in the adult
At the microphone, Camille Gaubert, journalist specializing in health at Science and Futureanswers questions from Romain Gouloumès and details the work in progress carried out by several French teams.
It is obviously not easy to decide between attention and consciousness and since babies cannot verbalize what they perceive, their level of consciousness is obviously difficult to assess by researchers. The latter must therefore use tricks, use stratagems: for example, by measuring the degree of reaction of the little ones via cameras following the movements of their eyes, when they are placed in front of changing images or sounds, or even by playing hide and seek with them with objects.
“Our strategy is to look for cognitive phenomena in babies that we know are associated with consciousness in adults,” Jean-Rémy Hochmann, research director at the CNRS, specialist in cognitive development sciences, told Camille Gaubert. Already, specialists have already defined several distinct stages of consciousness.
When baby becomes a conscious being
Thus, the perception and unconscious processing of external stimuli, as in premature babies, corresponds to the so-called C0 level. When the perception is conscious—awareness of one’s mother’s voice, of the taste of a food—it is level C1. Finally, stage C2, also called metacognition, refers to the awareness of one’s own thoughts.
While waiting for further progress, take the time to read our article “When baby becomes a conscious being” on our website or in the monthly Science and Future dated February 2023, on sale at newsagents. You can also consult the entire archives of Sixth Science and subscribe for free on Apple Podcast.
