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Intelligence
Intelligence and the childMythsGeneticsStudy of intelligenceNature of giftednessCreativityFAQIdentificationPsychology testsIQ scoreIdentifying talentscharacteristicsExceptional qualitiesObservationsLists and limitationNurture
Protegy and childhoodSecret of successGenius factoryObjectionsAssembly lineGrowthCultivating talentsProblemsPlay and explorationSelf conceptFamily relationshipKindergartenUnderachieversPre-schoolPrenatal developmentInfanthoodStimulation|
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| Until comparatively recently it was thought that the newborn infant was a primitive organism, not much more than a bundle of reflexes designed to ensure the creature's survival - the cry to summon maternal care, the rooting to seek the nipple, the suck and swallow to take in food. The newborn infant was presumed not to be particularly aware of its surroundings, or to be much affected by the particular nature and quality of its care (extremes of neglect or inappropriate handling excepted). With the advent of video-recording, the whole field of infant development and early communication between infants and their caretakers was dramatic. The results of these studies have radically changed earlier concepts of young babies. One of the most reliable findings on intelligence is that children from lower- and working- class homes average significantly below their middle-class age mates on standardized intelligence tests. Children less than 2 years old are apparently the only exception to this rule. Far from being primitive, the little devil actually initiates and partakes in the subtlest forms of contact with his caretakers, synchronizing his movements, demonstrating from the earliest days an 'intention' to explore and respond to the aspects of his environment. Of course, in the early weeks the intentions are barely recognizable as such. Purpose and control need the maturing experience of time and practice to develop into competence. But what is now realized is that the capacity for 'thought', be it of the most primitive kind, do exist within the baby certainly at the time of his birth, if not before. Perhaps even more important have been the revelations of what happens between the infant and other human beings from the very first moments after birth. They are already capable of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and responding to touch, temperature and pain. Some of these capabilities are utilized in various hot housing techniques to stimulate the baby's development. It is now clear that babies develop rapidly the ability to distinguish between sounds and sights, and to respond selectively to them. Within weeks a baby will know the difference between his mother's face and voice and that of others, and will show distress or pleasure according to the expression on her face or the tone of her voice. Very young infants see the world in blurred colors although visual acuity and contrasts are as yet poor. They can sense movement, changes in brightness and a variety of visual patterns as long as they are not too finely detailed and have a sufficient amount of light/dark contrast. 3-4 month olds begins to discriminate the faces of strangers (even when they are quite similar in appearance) if these are looked at long enough. They start to recognize photographs of their mother' face, and also happy from sad expressions when facial configurations are accompanied by a happy or a sad tone of voice. By 4-5 months, color vision is already very mature, although it may take 6-12 months for him to see as well as an adult. Although their auditory capabilities will improve over the first 4-6 months, even neonates already hear very well. They can already discriminate sounds that differs in loudness, duration, direction, frequency, and are capable of using voices to recognize and discriminate their companions and even break speech into smaller units. Young infants are particularly responsive to the sound of a human voice. This helps to elicit the attention and interpersonal contact that will contribute positively to his social, emotional and intellectual development as well as ensuring acceptance and safety. Babies can tell the difference between the vowels a and i from the second day of life, and recognize their mother's voice during the first three days. Babies less than 1 year old are actually more responsive to sounds than to sights. Newborns can differentiate between sweet, sour, salty or bitter, which also elicit different facial expressions - from smiling and smacking of the lips for sweetness, to down turning of the corners of the mouth, tongue protrusion and spitting for bitterness. By smell, a breast-fed infant only 2 weeks old will recognize his mother (his closest companion and guardian). Whereas before we did not feel it mattered too much if it is grandma or a domestic helper who handled the baby, nor how he was looked at or spoken to so long as it was with reasonable care, we now understand that it does, that the baby is aware, and that in a primitive sense the baby minds. What also must be taken into account is that, despite 'knowing', 'feeling' and 'minding', the baby is in a relatively helpless position with regard to communicating these feelings. He is dependent on the adult's ability to recognize and interpret any communications expressed through the cry, the gaze, the smile, and the movements of arms and hands. Babies are very sensitive to the emotional atmosphere. Although they cannot articulate their feelings, they respond to the feelings of those around them. Alert, sensitive babies will be especially vulnerable. If the baby's behavior irritates his caretaker, he will sense it and some important 'message' will begin to be exchanged - messages of anger and despair, of helplessness, of wishing to be rid of the baby. Subconsciously they will be understood by the baby, and may set a pattern for the emotional development of the child and the relationship with the caretaker which will be difficult to counter. So it is important to find some personal solution to a crying baby, and for an overburdened and therefore irritable or distressed caretaker to seek for relief through the help of others, particularly to ensure a regular break from the demands of the situation. These potentially revolutionary insights into the behavior of infants have a particular significance for the study of exceptional children's development. We are born with differing 'response patterns'. Any mother, or any person who has closely observed newborn infants, will say that this is so. To be born with different response patterns would indeed set off a train of response relationships that would ensure unique development. It is possible that children who later develop their abilities to exceptional levels are born with a highly sensitized capacity to respond to their environment. Learning is all about experiencing. It is through our contact with our world that we grow to know our world and to develop our capacity to 'think' about it and to organize ourselves within it. If a child is born with highly sensitive response mechanisms he will experience more and take in more of the environment more rapidly than an infant with slower or more muted receptivity. |
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