Babies on the Brink
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 เม.ย. 2015
- Since the 1960s, developmental psychologists point to the "Visual Cliff"-an experiment that plops babies on a fake precipice-as proof that infants learn to fear heights as they learn to crawl. Yet, over the past 25 years, a series of rigorous (and adorable) experiments by Karen Adolph of NYU's Infant Action Lab has shattered this myth, revealing that while babies can learn from experiences near high ledges or narrow bridges, it's not a phobia they acquire.
Produced by Luke Groskin
Starring Derek Hough, Tessa Rose Confessore, and Clarabelle Kaufman
Music by Audio Network Footage
Stills and Additional Footage provided by Karen Adolph and the NYU Infant Action Lab,
Eleanor Gibson and R.D. Walk
KTCA Twin Cities Public Television
Ira Flatow
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I hope they release the babies back into the wild when they're done.
WeedyistFlame420 unfortunately they no longer can as their experience in the relative safety of the lab led to many babies being picked off by eagles within hours of being released.
Haha that’s good
@@stephenkohler3472 Which is slowly decreasing the population of eagles because babies are getting fond of eating eagles.
They are put down because they can no longer interact in nature.
Corey L. No not all babies are put down, only the ones with full intoxication, others are given to wildlife preserves
"what do you do for a living?" i guide toddlers off of cliffs.
Reece Crump where do i apply?
This actually made me laugh 😁
Made me lol 😂
Infant Psychology, but close enough
“I am a psychologist that specializes with babies and children.”
My favourite part about these studies is reading the all the comments that confidently discard the conclusion the researcher reached after decades of dedicated work in favour of their own explanation they thought up in 2 minutes.
My favorite part is that that's how you do science. The people making this test probably did the same looking at the older videos of the visual cliff, then worked on their ideas to make a new test.
My favorite part of them is specifically about a certain documentary that a lot of clips come from and through the entire thing they call them "baby humans"
@@alexread6767 No, first you doubt, then you spend time contruscting a different theory, then you do your own test and only when your theory proves more accurate than the previous one you get to call the previous one wrong.
Just doubting a theory because you disagree is not science.
@@naproupi I said that they worked on their ideas (aka theory) and made a new test though...
@@naproupi "Just doubting a theory because you disagree is not science." Say it louder for the anti-vaxxers in the back
what babies are learning is that their mom's will catch them if they step off.
+xznoman Their "mom is" will catch them? Or the will of their mom will catch them?
I felt same way about this experiment it just felt like being able to be caught hinders the experiment
grammar fanatic =D +existenceisrelative
xznoman yeah we should let the babies just fall. survival of the fittest
miss Auden don't look for a fight ~
I love watching the baby decide when it's time to go down backwards.
Yeah, it's cool
That's my niece! The one in the purple! She does that shoulder shrug "I don't know" move ALL the time!! YAY!
+Derek Mahr That's my niece! The one in the purple! She does that shoulder shrug "I don't know" move ALL the time!! YAY!
Derek Mahr She's so sweet!!
That's my niece! The one in the purple! She does that shoulder shrug "I don't know" move ALL the time!! YAY!
What’s happening here?
another troubled person ikr
_*everyone in the comments saying the test is flawed_
*_Vsauce music plays_*
"But who is the *real* baby here?"
That burn is actually really good
Im gonna use that lmao
you are.
@@jeffzzzz1955 How would you ever use that
@@Jazz-dh2ds of course in a baby experiment
Fascinated by the part when they're able to judge the height when they crawl, but fail to notice the same when they start walking. 4:04
Maybe it's the eye level
Maybe because they now know the adults will catch them as soon as they are in danger, so they don't care anymore and take it as a game.
it's the learning curve. How are you supposed to be careful when you have never done this before and don't know your limits?
These babies are not afraid of heights
They're just trying to avoid potential injury
It's the difference between Being brave and not knowing your limits
but fear of heights comes with being afraid that droppoing of a certain high could cause potential injury
thats what the whole video was about dumbass. she thought babies were affraid of heights. but they found out its instinct. dummy
actually, she was trying to say that fear is not involved and the babies had to relearn how to navigate every time they changed position.
So even after learning from crawl position (stop right at the edge, turn around, and hang) they then have to relearn when they get to cruise position (to stop, crouch, hang down, etc.). You can see when the babies began to walk, most ran right off the edge.
They then had to relearn all over again when they began walking because it again changes the relationship between their body and their environment. (She said there were four learning curves; learn to navigate from sitting, crawling, cruising, and then walking)
wasn't this explained in the video? Yes, yes it was.
"Babies are learning to preserve their relations
between their bodies and their environment."
You have to watch the whole thing for this comment to be relevant 😌
This experiment confirms babies are just adorable.
I do not agree
@@ezra8545 agree to disagree
This really shows just how important physical activity is in the development of babies. Babies learn concretely through doing things
*great video, but i think the test is fundamentally flawed, the baby, knows it has adult support near by, and that the adult will intervene when they're in real danger, they need to test it with a harness and an empty room
Maybe after a while but at first I doubt it, how can they know ? It's not like you train babies at home like that.
Richard Son I think that's how we learn to fear heights, when no one is there to catch our fall when we were young..
Julius Red
the future
I guess again I don't see any scared faces just playful and most of them are walking off the edge until caught and some are just trying to figure out a way to get down. Depth perception and figuring out whats possible
Julius Red VR is no good because babies use all of their senses and rely on their feelings and sense of balance a lot ect to just sight would be useless
Babies are not very aerodynamic
Depends to what you compare them.
Let's put them in a cage and see them starve to death
I've been firing babies out of cannons for years and this is somewhat accurate.
2:17 the baby is eating the wood cute
Idk how did you manage to see it among all the crisis happening?!😂😂😂
its a common human instinct
@@user-xp9zm9wu9k danger = eat waoaoad
@@user-xp9zm9wu9k yes
This isn't a fear of heights. This is just instinct of knowing that somethings they aren't capable of. I think the real fear of heights for most people comes from knowing if you fall of of someplace high, you have a high or even definite possibility of getting hurt or dying.
I agree that this is not a fear of heights but more of a depth perception but I guess I don't agree its not showing what they are capable of but more of what they can do and what is possible by the way they figure out a way to get the other area. And I don't see many scared faces. Mostly smiles.
and thats exactly what the video is about, maybe watch untill the end?
nice emil. very nice
They're referring to an instinctual fear, not a fear in the sense you're describing where you visualize potential consequences and process it as a risk.
The whole point is that it's not instinct, because the behavior changes as the baby learns. The very young baby goes right over the edge without hesitating.
My 22 month old is careful with heights when walking or crawling, but today he just tried to ride his trike straight down the stairs. I guess riding a trike needs a whole new set of learning.
And then u learn to drink and forgot thousands of years of evolution
i love it. it’s not fear, it’s spatial calculation! babies are so cool
“A baby is born with three instinctive fears: of loud noises, of falling, and of the total absence of light” (Isaac Asimov, Nightfall).
As a point that may be useful to know, the novel takes place on a planet with so many suns it is nearly always light outside. Except that one time every once in a long while where it goes totally dark. And of course, civilization goes bananas.
And like most of Asimovs ideas about psychologe or AI it's just bullshit.
When I jump from high place in game, I can still feel fear of death on the way down, even my character cant die from fall.
Would have been better with Mission Impossible theme in the background.
I'd like to remind commenters saying "the test is flawed, let them fall" that babies are human beings, experience pain and trauma, and have incredibly fragile bodies. It's not like you have to experience that to know it's not a desirable behavior. Smaller conclusions often lead to bigger ones.
"You can test babies on a real cliff" Now that's an idea I can get behind
Older human brain: Push him off the cliff..
My nephew straight up walked into the swimming pool
Luciana I've seen a baby do the same!! It was at a family reunion and practically every adult immediately dove in to get him 😂
But yea walked straight in
I remember this in my child psychology class in the early 1990s! Fascinating stuff! Would love to do Child Psychology again - to a higher level! Psychology in general is fascinating!
Me tOo!
I had to take my Child psychology class 3 times in college because life just kept getting in the way of school 😂. I’m currently about 9 days away from having a baby, and I am so excited to watch my son develop and learn about the world around him. My husband keeps making fun of me for being a nerd.
learning about it today in college at 22
My son tried to backwards crawl down a very gradual slope we were hiking on!
Sounds like he has the right idea. Doesn't stand with a scared look on his face but figures out a way to make it possible
Gunnar maybe they stopped on the hike to take a break or eat or smth and when they put the baby down he started to crawl
@Gunnar How else will the baby learn to hike?
Get those caring hands away and replace with a cable...
LOL
Agreed
Get the hands and the cable away and let them fall
@@ishzsbxux well... As evil as that is... I think its more realistic and would change the test results.
That could paralize the baby. Harnesses are not meant for use until you reach a certain age
3:09 that baby was so smart to turn around and descend backwards!
Thanks for the video. I had heard of these experiments from Andy Clark's book 'Being There'. One particularly interesting fact is that babies learn the danger of cliffs and steep slopes as crawlers and then forget it when they become toddlers. Professor Andy believes what the babies learn is highly context-sensitive: They learn that, when their visual field or body position is in a certain state, then it is dangerous to move forward. When they become toddlers, both things change, and what they learn previously no longer applies. They do not learn general facts about cliffs and slopes. Professor Karen, from the video, seems to agree.
I am usually fascinated by scientific findings, but this time, I am more feeling of a that's cute study.
Disclaimer: No babies were hurt in the process
This reminds me of the movie “Baby’s day out”
My little brother had no fear of heights well into being able to walk. We have a low brick enclosure, only about 12" high, and he would practically run across it. Then he fell off one time and it was like something clicked in his brain and he was terrified to walk across it at all.
3:25 That little smile though!
Interesting to watch the videos of babies climbing out of their cribs. They definitely know what they are doing and not scared at all.
3:14 that 180 degree rotation from the baby. That's clever.
I now have a dream job. Thank you.
Pushing babies off cliffs?
I like that a bunch of people who aren't even familiar with the literature or have any background knowledge are so confident in chiming in on how this experiment is "stoopid."
Angelica Guerrero Agreed.
no u
Well, it is a video about an experiment showing that a previous experiment was “stoopid”, so it instills natural further questioning of methodology and conclusions.
they've removed the safety glass in place of a human safety glass. How does this alter anything when the child is still aware that it's mother will catch them?
Tipsylou 2:19
Tipsylou also, check out 3:22. This kid and many of the others are actually testing the limits of their abilities with the incline/ledge in ways that were impossible with the glass.
the experiment is legit. even though we dont have the answer in this video. this woman has done this test for 25 years. do you really think she never thought of this problem? she probably did some studies with something around the baby and some rope. and found out that the infants would still act the same way. then why not keep doing that? maybe some infants didnt want the "harnas" on or one of them got hurt while falling because the rope tightened while an arm was in the way.
Most of them, if not all, look like they are figuring out how to navigate the ledges and slopes themselves. The adults aren't catching them. They did the first couple of runs because they didn't want them to fall. Also letting them fall could have them develop a fear which would ruin the whole experiment.
ALSO it's not an experiment to see how well infants navigate ledges, it's to understand how and when humans make connections
The Visual Cliff, 1960 ... 🤔 ... So these babies grew up and started the whole parkour thingy
When I was really young, one of my uncles had me up on his shoulders at the mall. He thought it would be funny to lean forward at one of the railings, you know, where you can look down several stories. I had some kind of panic attack and nightmares for years of falling down through malls.
I almost had a panic attack just reading that
babies: precise decisions meaning life or death
then theres me: oh yeah i think this is a meter tall, i can do this
also me: oof my fookin knees
The babies have gotten used to the woman catchin them so ofcourse they gunna walk off, they knowwww somebody is gunna catch em
Even though the babies know there're adult protecting them they aren't too reliant on it that much. The adult seems to make them more confident but those babies still show sign of caution with or without them. If they indeed don't care about consequences why would they happily crawl/walk off the ledge at first but learn to be more cautious later?
Robin Hyliger Gotta catch em all
actually, she was trying to say that fear is not involved and the babies had to relearn how to navigate every time they changed position.
So even after learning from crawl position (stop right at the edge, turn around, and hang) they then have to relearn when they get to cruise position (to stop, crouch, hang down, etc.). You can see when the babies began to walk, most ran right off the edge.
They then had to relearn all over again when they began walking because it again changes the relationship between their body and their environment. (She said there were four learning curves; learn to navigate from sitting, crawling, cruising, and then walking)
This almost kills my back. My daughter suddenly jump over the bed hooping for me to catch Her. That result in rather chronic back pain (my daughter quite a GIANT baby) and couples of times I am not fast enough to catch Her. Ouch! (×﹏×)
If that were the case, the babies would get more confident walking off the edge, not less.
Seeing the babies throw depth perception out the window once they start walking is wild.
I'm convinced my toddler would just walk off the edge of the world if given the opportunity.
Mine would try to climb to the underside and fall maybe 30 seconds later (while screaming "papa papa catch") when here hands don't support her weight anymore …
Genius! Teach babies how to crawl and get around safely!
I can't believe the lenghts to which some people will go to play with babies.
There's something funny about the visuals of babies traversing these weird obstacles, like the narrow path to crawl on and stuff. It reminds me of one of those doggy agility courses.
Karen Adolph and her team have my whole heart
I had Dr. Adolph for Developmental Psych when I was at NYU.
more great work from the lab of doctor Adolph
How do i get this job?
I think you're too old to qualify as a baby
Jae Bird Did you just assume his age ?
Probably be a university post-grad student in the field of pediatrics or psychology - or at least done that at some point.
I know right
Early childhood education
This is why you should allow children to play freely but not neglect them. If you let them try to crawl off a couch but instead they fall they learn a lot faster that they can't get down that way. It's ok for kids to fall. If you make a mess because you tipped over your drink you won't do it again. The same applies to falling. Except when people are there to stop the mess from happening of course, and refill their drink. There are no consequences for their action even if it's accidental meaning the child doesn't learn not to do something
Maddy but I think there is a balance to be struck. I won't let my infant fall off the couch, but I will let her crawl to the edge and begin to fall, catching her at the last second so she gets the sensation of falling without the risk of injury. I will let her fall if she's just walking on flat ground, though.
Maddy yeah, nothing bad except for crushing not fully developed skull or breaking neck. Great idea.
omfg people in the comment section are fucking rekking today
Cause and effect is learned over time, if you fall, you learn from that, but and infant must be monitored to be sure he or she doesn't get into harms way, Adolf is trying out a Scenario to see a response, but not the way the original activity was conducted, it was the child is coaxed to crawl toward the mom who is instructed to ignore the clear glass or the drop off point, and then see if the child keeps going, if she does it is considered atypical but crying and asking to be picked up is the typical response.
I gotta say, it's scary, interesting and somehow funny that, when a child gets up and starts walking, they'd walk right off that edge that his younger/ crawling self would know not to do.. Falling and being hurt &or watching someone else fall and get hurt would cause a fear/understanding of what a ledge can do. Hard to actually study this because you wouldn't let the first couple children crawl/walk off the ledge to teach the others in back what to expect.. Interesting study/vid though
They could show children a scene where a toy falls off and gets hurt, and see if it influences their behavior. Well, someone's probably already done it. It's just not on TH-cam
That's a good point, i wonder how differently the studies would be if they let them actually fall (not enough to cause death or immense pain) just a little tumble and cry and see if kids in a line behind them change what they do
Maybe once a toddler learns to walk they are used to heights against and so they walk off cliffs.
My daughter is 3 and a half. Since she was around 15 months she has been "afraid" of checkered floors. She acts as if she is going to fall "into" the floor. It has gotten little better with age. Not sure what this is all about and her Dr. Says it's nothing to worry about. But she gets terrified to the point of panic sometimes. Very odd 🤔
Wow! So they actually had to relearn how to navigate every time they changed position.
So even after learning from crawl position (stop right at the edge, turn around, and hang) they then have to relearn when they get to cruise position (to stop, crouch, hang down, etc.) and then had to relearn all over again when they began walking because it again changes the relationship between their body and their environment. (She said there were four learning curves; learn to navigate from sitting, crawling, cruising, and then walking)
What I'm seeing is:
Practice makes perfect
Building up confidence
The learning experience
Conquering your fear
New learning experiences
Learning hand eye coordination
Gaining sensory motor skills
Basically, just a normal learning curve.
What I'm not seeing is what she means by "cruising". Sitting I know. Crawling I know. Walking I know. But what on earth is cruising?
"The term 'Baby cruising' is used to describe the stage between crawling or 'bottom shuffling' and walking independently, when they walk holding onto furniture, like a sofa or coffee table."
sooo many people from the 1950s and 1960s are given soo much undue credit its amazing. Its only because they were fortunate enough to be written about, because a writer had a job to do, and had to find someone willing to be written about.
Of course the flaw in this experiment, which is also what makes it ethical, is that there is an adult poised ready to catch them. All this experiment shows is whether or not the baby has enough experience to trust their own motor skills over that of the adult. If the adult wasn't there, maybe the results of the experiment would be different and the younger crawlers/walkers wouldn't attempt some of the drops they were attempting with the adult there
true but it would impossible to do the expiriment without potential injury to the babies
kylem1112 they could make the drops appear dangerous, but with like a safety padding underneath to avoid any injury if the baby goes for it, similar to the original glass experiment, but less transparent (also, due to there not being glass there the baby cant stick their hand on it and discover that there is no real danger before crawling over it)
greenyoshi119
um no.... an infant at that age dropping at 2 or 3 feet can really injure them... doesn't matter if there is padding.
kylem1112 yeah, padding was a broad example I used and not the main point, all Im saying is the experiment would have more authenticity to it if the children believed they were in actual danger, but without actually putting them in danger. It shouldnt be too hard to pull a "smoke and mirrors" trick on an infant
the experiment is legit. even though we dont have the answer in this video. this woman has done this test for 25 years. do you really think she never thought of this problem? she probably did some studies with something around the baby and some rope. and found out that the infants would still act the same way. then why not keep doing that? maybe some infants didnt want the "harnas" on or one of them got hurt while falling because the rope tightened while an arm was in the way.
It seems like a lot of how they react is also based on how they're encouraged and that how they seem to always have a safety net so that they never actually suffer from the heights. I presume that the researchers aware of this though.
Like if a baby falls off of a table at home, that will presumably develop some fear of heights because there's actual correlation and justification. I guess a lot of their studying is just about natural instinct though along with how it can be overcome by an adult (parent?) coaxing them on.
These babies are gonna grow up to be terrified of chess.
Karen Adolph. What a name.
But I think the problem here is that the babies know they're not alone and that their mom has her hands close and won't let them be harmed that's why they're attempting these things ,I think it'll be a very different result if they were left alone in the room ( with actual safety they're not aware of ofc)
Oh my gosh, the results are so adorable!!
this woman just wanted an excuse to drop babies off cliffs
I'm afraid of heights and they make me dizzy, but babies will be crawling on the edge of a skyscraper not caring
without doing any of these tests, i could give an educated guess at every one and be right
She looks very passionate about her work and "her" babies.
When I see the babies rocking back and forth it makes me wonder what they are thinking... Like will he/she decide to just jump because they think there's an edge or will they just crawl over the "drop off"
Now why the hell would people do a study like that and think it's about fear of heights???? I would think it's about babies learning to avoid places where they could fall....
wow, you get paid for this job. cutest job ever.
Say what? Took 25 years to find a reason why babies have the instinct to not go over? I mean, who's funding this??
Letitia Thirapathi that the difference between commonsens (generally and cultural) and proving something ( very specifik, and you have to prove it, other people check if you are right)
Go back to church
This is a huge thing because it is also about what part does fear play on us learning common sense and what is right and wrong. Do we do what we do, be it whatever it is, just because of fear or not?
While babies in rural white neighbourhoods of caravan communities go starving everyday
well those babies should GET A FUCKING JOB THEN IF THEY'RE SO HUNGRY
I'm so glad my mom never put me in these videos where one day I have to read mean comments about what a stupid baby I was!
More recent research suggests it is not exactly the fear of “heights”, but the fear of what will happen after the heights: dropping (then potential death). So in a sense, it’s because infant human are “dumber” than many infant animals, or more precisely, we develop survival instincts much slower then many animals.
But we are also smarter in a sense, because after we have developed the fear of heights-caused-death, we can also easily comprehend and distinguish the situation where it may looks dangerous but actually not and get over the instinct of fear. Animals on the other hand are much more “stubborn” on this point.
Very interesting. Thank you
You'd think it'd be the other way around. That they would start out scared of falling, but then crawl over once they realized it was safe.
This experiment also can be used to determine gross depth perception in infants.
so what happens when they fall do they respawn
Fascinating human experiments.
1:18 I ask my self, Is that a clip from Newtons Apple? Didn't even notice the tag in the lower right until I rewatched. Used to watch that all the time as a kid from Minnesota
This is indeed rigorous and ADORABLE as per the description.. 😍😍👶👶👶
It must be evolutionary. Babies not afraid of heights logically doesn't sound like much of a surviving type.
They are my Space Marines, and they shall know no fear.
Next: Why do babies eat? When do they develop the fear of hunger?
The hypothesis was: Babies do not develop an innate fear of heights during their crawling period.
I think she did fine answering THAT hypothesis and how interesting to discover that we must relearn how to navigate ledges once we begin walking!
Of course one experiment is always going to lead to more questions (or else there would be no experiments)
I wonder how this skill develops in toddlerhood and childhood
"So as you may have noticed the argument circular." Correlation is not causation
"In the rain and on a train and in a tree"
All babies are feeling completely secure in mother's hand... poor test
the experiment is legit. even though we dont have the answer in this video. this woman has done this test for 25 years. do you really think she never thought of this problem? she probably did some studies with something around the baby and some rope. and found out that the infants would still act the same way. then why not keep doing that? maybe some infants didnt want the "harness" on or one of them got hurt while falling because the rope tightened while an arm was in the way.
am i the only one who was like scarred and worried all the time when they got to the edge?
Am I a bad person for cracking up every time a baby just casually strolls off a ledge? like I could watch that for awhile, it's very funny
@Elijah Krueger
No, you are not. I also kinda added the fading slide whistle from the old Wile E. Coyote cartoons, in my head as I watch.
thats pretty interesting and good that babies have that reaction at a young age.
This is really interesting to me that the infants would walk/crawl/sit/cruise right over a cliff despite their previous experiences with the cliff...
It seems that at this age, they cannot generalize the danger of a cliff, but rather applies their experiences with the cliff to their specific movements...
They should've hold the kids by some type of yarn or metal
What they're actually testing is a feedback system in the brain that has to do with the mechanism of balance in the ear and the visual cues of the eyes --It has nothing to do with learning curves in infants. The vestibular system in your ears gives a tilt cue your when head isn't upright. If your head is parallel to the ground --this mechanism is at its maximum tilt). Your brain gives your eyes signals to move in the opposite direction to "correct" your vision so you always know which way is up or down. Your eyes help your brain understand this in reverse as well.
The reason why the Babies refuse to go down the cliff head first is because of that innate queasy feeling you get you're about to fall over= your brain is trying to protect itself from injury. That's why they try to climb down feet first because your brain perceives the legs as being less important than itself. Younger infants have either underdeveloped V nerves or they are unable to respond to the signals because of underdeveloped muscles and skeletal system.
The walking babies will walk off the cliff because even though they saw the cliff and perceived it as dangerous, the other signal wasn't there from their ears saying that their heads are tilted - so no danger. Falling from standing or walking is the only thing that's a "learning curve" that helps them understand the cliff from visual cues.
I think this is why my daughter never crawled. She went straight from being an infant to standing and walking. When she was small I used to always carry her around the house with me like she was the one walking. I guess that's why her sense of balance really developed early-she was a walking machine afterward!
What is the first of the four learning curves? sit?? then crawl, cruise, walk
Just from the video i got: 1. Learn to sit 2. Learn to crawl 3. Begin cruising(pulling self up and leaning or holding things to move around) 4. Learn to walk
So yes!
I would have had a harness set up
that baby on red has gone through a lot