Six-month-old babies 'can tell right from wrong'

Hi ATS.

Well... The title says it all.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8994fe3c6546.jpg[/atsimg]
Babies who were shown a video of geometric shapes behaving well or badly were found to favour the good shapes Photo: Niamh Baldock / Alamy

Babies can tell right from wrong at six months.

Researchers asked infants of various ages to choose between characters which they had seen behaving well or badly, and found they overwhelmingly favoured the "good" characters.

One-year-old babies who were asked to take treats away from a "naughty" puppet in some cases went so far as to lean over and smack it on the head

This is rather stunning IMO.
It looks like humans are capable and actively understanding, judging and even punishing at an age they would drown in an inch deep puddle waiting for mummy to save the day.

Absolutely mind blowing is what I think of it.

One-year-old babies who watched one rabbit puppet trying to snatch a ball from a toy cat while a second rabbit puppet tried to return it chose to punish the "naughty" puppet by confiscating some sweets it had been given earlier. Some also smacked the rabbit on the head without being prompted.

Visit This link to read the full article.

I'm going to give this a little speculative thinking.
If I understand this correct, the article says basically that we are already perceiving the world and judging it as we see fit. Some sort of a basic reliability of ones own truth and more important, we are willing to act to that truth.

Can I assume this is a human trade and playing God is a evolutionary trade ?
We can judge because we are better then others and/or animals. Or maybe this is evidence for the existence of good and evil ?

I'd like some thoughts on it.

~SK



[edit on 5/10/2010 by Sinter Klaas]

or could this be evidence that souls are recycled and therefore come into the world with sort of preknown knowledge of right and wrong?

fascinating

reply to post by worldwatcher


Yes... Good one. I like the whole reincarnation idea.

Really thought provoking. I guess we will lose this ability and learn it again while growing up. Well... Maybe.

Or babies are born into a hyper aware, state. I have a thread on it. A baby can learn faster then we once thought. But I think the reincarnation theory sounds more plausible then my theory.

www.boston.com...

Check it out

[edit on 10-5-2010 by Maddogkull]

reply to post by Maddogkull


Well... Don't let it stop you from sharing that link to your thread.
I haven't seen it before.

or just maby it could be all the Barny Muppet and other kidde shows they watch from the moment they can sit up.
or maby it could even be mom and dad saying no bad baby when baby snatches treat . Man talk about underestimating kids if a chimp can do this you should know a human baby is quit a bit more advanced then a chimp.
ps a chimp can do this a study showed the chimps understood when they got cheated with grapes as the payment

reply to post by Maddogkull


That was a very interesting article.
Not surprising at all. Thanks for posting it.

However it doesn't say anything of the ability to judge right from wrong.

reply to post by xxcalbier


I would call that bad parenting actually.

A chimp has other talents where it excels in.

I don't understand the big deal here. These theories of an afterlife and the like don't seem necessary to me. I mean, we're pattern scavenging fools! It seems like common sense that since we're hard wired to appreciate beauty and order, we'd begin developing these skills ASAP. This is instinctual, guys. Nothing mystical is needed to comprehend this.

reply to post by unityemissions


You don't have to understand. Why would you bother ? There are alot more people around that believe in a afterlife then there are who don't you know it doesn't mean you have to.

Instinct is also a great way to label it. It isn't a big deal either.
Any way for any one.

Instinct can explain beauty and order but not right from wrong.
I'd like t be somewhere in the middle. A little bit of all.

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


Okay, but the video has nothing to do with right or wrong. The video shows an appreciation for order and beauty. The baby isn't labeling these things in a category of right or wrong. The interpreters erroneously are.

Originally posted by Sinter Klaas
reply to post by unityemissions

 

You don't have to understand. Why would you bother ? There are alot more people around that believe in a afterlife then there are who don't you know it doesn't mean you have to.

What? I have a need to understand why people put irrational nonsense into a scenario which can be explained rationally. I would say that unneccessary, irrational nonsense has a great deal to do with why a good chunk of humanity has been killed in the past. Knowing this, it would be wise, and it seems my duty, to understand these matters.

[edit on 10-5-2010 by unityemissions]

reply to post by unityemissions


Video

I didn't post a video.

With not understanding I meant something else. It doesn't matter. Your explanation is as good as the others. We don't understand it either.I don't really get where you linking the killing on. You do know this is the philosofy forum do you ?

It would also be appreciated if you would not label other peoples thougts, believes or faith as irrational nonsense. Maybe it is to you and I would think the same about a lot of other peoples ideas. People are free to speculate aren't they ? Have you seen anyone claiming proof ?

Really. Relax. Now please tell me where you saw that video ?

Originally posted by Sinter Klaas
reply to post by unityemissions

 

Video

I didn't post a video.

My bad. I meant the article.

With not understanding I meant something else. It doesn't matter. Your explanation is as good as the others. We don't understand it either.I don't really get where you linking the killing on. You do know this is the philosofy forum do you ?

Don't understand what? There's nothing to understand. It seems a lack of common sense is all that's going on here.

It would also be appreciated if you would not label other peoples thougts, believes or faith as irrational nonsense. Maybe it is to you and I would think the same about a lot of other peoples ideas. People are free to speculate aren't they ? Have you seen anyone claiming proof ?

Really. Relax. Now please tell me where you saw that video ?

I'm just calling it as it is.

As for relaxing. Shove it.

[edit on 10-5-2010 by unityemissions]

reply to post by unityemissions

I think it's interesting they can tell right from wrong but I don't think that's really groundbreaking. But I find it a little hard to believe that they truly understand right and wrong, I mean they may say they do but I mean they can't really grasp it.

I'm just saying this because it seems like young kids can lie and try to cover up things (ages 5-8 ish) and they really don't care if it's "bad", they know it's "bad" to cover up what they did but they'd rather be bad then just take the punishment. I guess I don't really know what I'm trying to say but those are my thought, lol.

reply to post by Iwillnever


Hi thank you for your reply.

They are specifically talking about babies. Recent study shows that lying by kids in the age you mention is actually a way to develop the brain. The biggest and best lyres usually are the most intelligent. Link

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


That's not what the study shows. It doesn't show causation, just correlation.

I stand by my previous statement. You, and the researchers, are terribly mistaken. This IN NO WAY proves children can tell right from wrong. That's morality, guys. What they can tell is correct vs incorrect from a purely instinctual knowing. Morality has to do with intent of subjects. This is the order of objects. Entirely different.

reply to post by unityemissions


I'm sorry. Are you now revering to the OP or to the article I replied to Iwillnever ?

As for morality. well... morality isn't an instinct. You learn Moral and it's depending on individual or a group perspective. Yet 6 months year old babies judge right from wrong.

who knows, could be genetics also. This generation of parents are the first to been very exposed to the information age, their entire life. This could cause a predisposition in learning development for children, especially the ones who are around electronics.

Originally posted by unityemissions
I don't understand the big deal here. These theories of an afterlife and the like don't seem necessary to me. I mean, we're pattern scavenging fools! It seems like common sense that since we're hard wired to appreciate beauty and order, we'd begin developing these skills ASAP. This is instinctual, guys. Nothing mystical is needed to comprehend this.

Why does it have to be one or the other ?

It is some of both.