Any Question ....Big Question
Predict Future ,,,,,,
IT IS VERY INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE BEHAVIOUR OF INFANTS, WHERE WE SEE EXPRESSIONS ON THEIR FACES, 
THEIR BODY LANGUAGE AND THE ACTIONS, ARE ALL THAT THE INFANTS LEARN BY IMITATING AND EMULATING THEIR ELDERS.
TO PROVE THIS POINT, TWO RESEARCHERS NAMELY BETTY REPACHOLI AND ANDREW MELTZOFF OF UW INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING AND 
BRAIN SCIENCES CONDUCTED A STUDY TO PROVE THAT THE INFANTS UNDERSTAND OTHER PEOPLE’S EMOTIONAL STATES AT A VERY YOUNG AGE.
THE RESEARCHERS SAY THAT UNDERSTANDING OTHER PEOPLE’S EMOTIONS IS A LIFE-LONG SKILL 
AND IS CRUCIAL FOR SCHOOL READINESS. THE FASCINATING RESULT OF THIS STUDY IS HOW SENSITIVE TODDLERS ARE TO THE EMOTIONAL DYNAMICS OF THE INTERACTIONS AROUND THEM. THEY DON’T NEED TO TRY OUT A BEHAVIOUR OF THEIR OWN AND GET REWARDED OR PUNISHED, 
THEY CAN WATCH WHAT AN OLDER BROTHER OR SISTER DOES AND LEARN FROM WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM.
ACCORDING TO RESEARCHERS THIS STUDY HELPS FILL IN A MISSING PIECE BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT CHILDREN ENGAGE IN 
‘EMOTIONAL EAVESDROPPING’. CHILDREN HAVE THEIR EMOTIONAL ANTENNA UP ALL THE TIME AND THEY LEARN FROM EAVESDROPPING ON THE BEHAVIOURS OF OTHERS.
AS A PART OF THE EXPERIMENT TO TEST WHETHER INFANTS EAVESDROP ON ADULTS TO PICK UP EMOTIONAL CLUES, THE RESEARCHERS SET UP TWO EXPERIMENTS. THE FIRST INVOLVED 96 TODDLERS, THE SECOND 72. IN BOTH EXPERIMENTS THERE WERE EQUAL NUMBERS OF BOYS AND GIRLS. THE YOUNGSTERS WATCHED AN ADULT MANIPULATE A TOY IN BOTH 
EXPERIMENTS. THEN THEY WATCHED WHILE A SECOND ADULT EXPRESSED ANGER OR A NEUTRAL REACTION IN RESPONSE TO THE FIRST ADULT PLAYING WITH A TOY. THE INFANTS THEN WERE ALLOWED TO PLAY WITH THE TOY 
AND IMITATE THE FIRST ADULT’S ACTIONS. AT THIS POINT IN THE FIRST EXPERIMENT, THE SECOND ADULT EITHER LEFT THE ROOM OR QUIETLY SAT WITH A NEUTRAL FACIAL EXPRESSION. IN THE SECOND EXPERIMENT, 
THE SECOND ADULT EITHER TURNED HER BACK ON THE CHILD OR SILENTLY LOOKED TOWARD THE CHILD WITH A NEUTRAL EXPRESSION.
THE RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT ALL THE INFANTS WERE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE FIRST ADULT
WAS DOING, WERE LEANING FORWARD, MAKING NOISES AND WANTING THE TOY, BUT THAT CHANGED WHEN THE SECOND ADULT EXPRESSED ANGER AND REMAINED IN THE ROOM LOOKING TOWARD THE CHILD. 
WHEN THE SECOND ADULT REACTED NEUTRALLY OR EXPRESSED ANGER AND THEN EITHER LEFT THE ROOM OR TURNED HIS BACK, THE YOUNGSTERS GRABBED THE TOY WITHIN ONE SECOND. THEY ALSO IMITATED THE FIRST ADULT’S ACTION WITH THE TOY 25 OUT OF THREE POSSIBLE TIMES. 
HOWEVER, WHEN THE ANGRY ADULT REMAINED PRESENT AND HER NEUTRAL FACE WAS VISIBLE, THE INFANTS HESITATED, TAKING AN AVERAGE OF FIVE SECONDS TO TAKE THE TOY. THEY WERE ONLY SUCCESSFUL IN IMITATING THE FIRST ADULT’S ACTION HALF THE TIME. THE RESEARCHERS FOUND NO GENDER 
DIFFERENCES IN HOW THE INFANTS REACTED. THIS WAS A REAL SURPRISE, PARENTS USUALLY SOCIALIZE BOYS AND GIRLS DIFFERENTLY AND GIRLS 
ARE USUALLY MORE COMPLIANT. IT MAY BE THAT DIFFERENCES IN THIS AREA WILL EMERGE LATER.
THE EXPERIMENTS ARE THE FIRST DEMONSTRATION THAT INFANTS CAN MODIFY 
THEIR OWN BEHAVIOUR IN RESPONSE TO AN EMOTIONAL COMMUNICATION THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE THEM.
BETTY AND ANDREW FINALLY CONCLUDE THAT BY OBSERVING AND ANALYZING OTHER PEOPLE’S EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOUR, INFANTS 
ARE ABLE TO QUICKLY LEARN SOME IMPORTANT LESSONS. IT IS NOT ONLY AN EXTREMELY EFFICIENT WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD BUT IS ALSO HIGHLY ADAPTIVE. INFANTS CAN USE EMOTIONAL EAVESDROPPING TO AVOID SOME OF THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES 
THAT MIGHT ARISE WHEN THEY PERFORM AN ACTION THEMSELVES. IT IS ALSO A PRETTY ADAPTIVE WAY OF INTERPRETING WHAT IS IMPORTANT AND WHAT THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH.
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