Babies show an astounding ability to respond to the environment and the various stimulus factors around them, and according to pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton, it is up to the parents "to watch and listen for their own baby's particular style" (323). Remembering the ecology unit, take into account the various methods of learning: conditioning, imprinting, spatial learning, life history modified learning, mistake based learning, and cognition. Discuss the extent in which babies tend to learn based on those methods and how certain traits may be affected later in life. Contrast how people such as Hermann may claim, "talent is not inherent or inborn, but trained and educated" (cited in 327), yet others like famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin believes "his own musical talent was partly due to the fact that his parents were always singing and playing music before he was born" (285). Also note that the University of Miami notes that after the sixth month, a fetus moves in rhythm to the mother's speech and other outside stimuli.
(Diana Liao - dianaliao3@gmail.com)
In Shenk’s main argument, an argument which dictates that a person’s abilities are a direct result of GxE, the E (environment) aspect is critical. His idea proposes that a person’s environment during upbringing has just as much effect on that person’s outcome as his/her genes do because all organisms must respond differently yet appropriately to different environmental factors. He states that “intelligence…athletic prowess… musical ability… all of these are a function of influence and process- far from fully controllable, but also quite the opposite of fixed and predetermined” (Shenk, 131). The idea is that these skills are already embedded within the person’s genome, but it is the environmental factors that stimulate and make these skills apparent to the outside world since “intelligence is not fixed but waiting to be developed” (Shenk, 131). However, it is also made clear in his book that Shenk believes that in order for certain skills and abilities to be developed, they must be influenced by the environment to do so at a young, developing stage. This is why, even at such a young yet critical age, babies are already able to show an extraordinary ability to respond to the environment and stimuli surrounding them. T. Berry Brazelton wrote that “babies differ in… their responses to hunger and discomfort,” and etc. (Shenk, 323). Human babies differ in their responses because they are able to learn by utilizing a variety of different methods and develop according to their environmental stimuli.
ReplyDeleteThere are a variety of methods of learning for animals. One of the simplest forms of learning is habituation which is when there is a loss of responsiveness to a given stimuli that conveys not useful information. So, habituation actually can increase an individual’s fitness because it prevents wasting time or energy on stimuli that are irrelevant to an animal’s survival and reproduction with “its contribution to the gene pool of the next generation” (Campbell, 1125). Another method, imprinting, is a long-lasting interactive response to a particular stimuli. Imprinting is different from other types of learning because it has a “sensitive period” (Campbell, 1126). Only during this time, can certain behaviors be learned. The importance of sensitive period was demonstrated in Konrad Lorenz’s young graylag geese experiment where the young geese imprinted on him opposed to their mother during this critical period. Because there is so much spatial variation in every environment, an animal’s fitness will also be strengthened with the ability for spatial learning which is the “establishment of a memory that reflects the environment’s spatial construction” (Campbell, 1126). This type of learning was demonstrated in Niko Tinbergen’s digger wasp experiment which showed that digger wasps used landmarks to lean its relative position. Another useful tool in spatial learning is cognitive maps which “relate landmark positions to one another” (Campbell, 1127). There is also associative learning which, like its name, makes associations between experiences. There is classical conditioning where a stimulus becomes coupled with an outcome or operant conditioning also known as trial- and error learning. The most complex, however, is cognition which is “the process of knowing represented by awareness, reason, recollection, and judgment (Campbell, 1128). Problem solving is a cognitive activity.
Human brains, along with babies’ brains, “continue to grow and change throughout our lives, based on the experiences we have. Brain development is not complete at birth,” and it will continue to develop when we are older (http://www.bbbgeorgia.org/brainBasics.php ). This idea is coherent with Shenk’s and Brazelton’s idea that babies and humans develop according to the experiences they have. It makes perfect sense that experiences greatly affect the learning process because in cognition, the most complex form of learning, recollection and connections must be made. Recollection is attained through repetition, and repetition is present in experiences where a certain outcome is repeated due to a certain stimuli. Therefore, babies must have past experiences to have recollection. Connections are also made from these past experiences and the patterns seen in these experiences. Associative learning is dependent on experiences because “learning… involves making associations between experiences” (Campbell, 1127). Although human babies do not learn through imprinting nor have a critical period, human babies do develop certain critical skills such as motor skills, hearing, vision, and communication from his/her birth until he/she is 3 months old (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infant-development/PR00061). Spatial learning is also very important especially as babies begin to crawl. They will learn under, over, near, and far as well as have a mental cognitive maps of their environments. (http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/20-ways-to-boost-your-babys-brain-power/).
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Regardless that Hermann’s idea is that talent is “trained and educated” and Menuhin believes "his own musical talent was partly due to the fact that his parents were always singing and playing music before he was born," both support the idea that experience and environment and not purely genes are the reason for musical and other forms of intelligence. Sure, Hermann’s idea is that intelligence can be trained after birth and Menuhin believes that it is nurtured before birth. However, both ideas are correct. Although most of the brain’s cells are formed before birth, early experience and interaction with the environment are extremely crucial in a child’s brain development (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/famsci/fs609w.htm). This idea is also supported with the fact that the University of Miami recorded that after the sixth month of pregnancy, a fetus moves in rhythm to the mother's speech and other environmental stimuli. Therefore, a growth mindset should always be present because your genes do not purely determine your intelligence nor the type of intelligence, your environment plays a huge role as well.
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