What is the earliest age infants can group visual categories according to the study?

The study found that infants as young as two months old can group visual categories.

How did researchers examine visual function in two-month-old infants?

Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine visual function by recording brain activity as babies viewed images.

What method was used to make the fMRI experience comfortable for babies?

The infants reclined on bean bags inside the scanner, viewing large images, an experience described as 'IMAX for babies'.

Home / Science / 2-Month-Olds Show Surprising Brain Skills

2-Month-Olds Show Surprising Brain Skills

3 Feb

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Summary

Infants as young as two months can group complex visual categories.
fMRI scans provided precise visual function data in young babies.
The study made infants comfortable, comparing it to 'IMAX for babies'.

2-Month-Olds Show Surprising Brain Skills

Scientists have discovered that babies as young as two months old can group together visual categories, a capability more complex than previously understood. This finding emerged from a study utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on 130 two-month-old infants.

The fMRI technique allowed researchers to precisely examine visual function by recording brain activity as babies viewed various images, such as animals and trees. This method offered greater detail compared to older studies that relied on observing how long an infant looked at an object.

When the same infants were scanned again at nine months old, their brains showed an even stronger ability to distinguish between living and inanimate objects. Researchers are hopeful that such brain imaging studies could eventually connect to long-term cognitive outcomes.