Social Cognition in the Early Years

Andrew N. Meltzoff LIFE Center

University of Washington

http://ilabs.washington.edu

• Human learning starts at birth, so the Science of Learning must start at birth

• Infants learn first and best from other people: “Social Leaning”

Two Starting Points for Theory & Practice

Role Models and Imitative Learning

Imitation as a Basic Learning Mechanism For Transmission of Culture

We discovered that imitation begins at birth!

Emotions and Learning

• Repacholi & Meltzoff, Child Development, 2007 • Repacholi, Meltzoff, & Olsen, Developmental Psychology, 2008

In the second year of life, infants are very sensitive to emotional reactions. This influences their learning. The research is explained in the references below:

This shows that non-cognitive factors play a major role in pre-school learning

The Social Brain

We investigated the neural basis of social learning, using EEG recordings in young children as they observed and imitated an adult

Imitation Task for EEG (mu rhythm desynchronization)

Marshall, Young, & Meltzoff, Dev. Sci., 2011

Marshall & Meltzoff Dev. Cog. Neurosci., 2011

Gaze Following: Social Learning

Gaze Following is crucial developmental component of learning

• Learning language, names for things •  Learning about new objects and concepts •  Acquiring new skills via imitation and instruction

Gaze Following & Joint Visual Attention Using technology

• Problem: Establishing joint reference in computer-mediated communications and multimedia

• Domains: Diagrams, pictures, dynamic videos • Important: For computer supported collaborative

learning

Time

Brooks & Meltzoff, Dev. Psych., 2002

Infant Gaze Following

Age in Months

-  Low Social Gaze Following & Pointing

+ High Social Gaze Following & Pointing

Gaze and Language Learning: Gaze Following + Pointing Predicts Vocabulary Growth (SES controlled)

Wor

ds P

rodu

ced

Brooks & Meltzoff (2008) J. of Child Language

10-11 14 18 24 0

100 200 300 400 500 600

Extensions to Social Robots

Infant Imitation

Robotic Gaze Following

Robotic Imitation

Meltzoff, Brooks, Shon, & Rao (2010). Neural Networks.

• Infants: Imitation of a person’s motor behavior

• Elementary-school children: Take on the attitudes & attributes associated of the group

- With development, children establish ‘Like me’ class. Based on that, the way culture treats other ‘like me’ people has implications for the child’s development. This applies across the life-span.

Psychological Theory

Meltzoff, “Like Me” theory, Dev. Sci. 2007

Practice Gaze Following & Imitation in Everyday Life

Children learn naturally by watching what others do

But in formal schooling we often force them to learn in isolation

A New Science of Learning

Meltzoff, Kuhl, Movellan, & Sejnowski, Science (2009)