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“What” matters more than “Why” – Neonatal behaviors initiate social responses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2017

Klaus Libertus ,
Melissa E. Libertus ,
Christa Einspieler  and
Peter B. Marschik
Klaus Libertus
Affiliation:
Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) & Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. KLL60@pitt.eduLibertus@pitt.eduhttp://www.psychology.pitt.edu/people/klaus-libertus-phdhttp://www.lrdc.pitt.edu/people/researcher-detail.cshtml?id=530
Melissa E. Libertus
Affiliation:
Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) & Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. KLL60@pitt.eduLibertus@pitt.eduhttp://www.psychology.pitt.edu/people/klaus-libertus-phdhttp://www.lrdc.pitt.edu/people/researcher-detail.cshtml?id=530
Christa Einspieler
Affiliation:
Interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience (iDN), Department of Phoniatrics, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria. christa.einspieler@medunigraz.atpeter.marschik@medunigraz.athttp://www.medunigraz.at/idn/team/christa-einspieler/http://www.medunigraz.at/idn/team/peter-b-marschik/
Peter B. Marschik
Affiliation:
Interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience (iDN), Department of Phoniatrics, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria. christa.einspieler@medunigraz.atpeter.marschik@medunigraz.athttp://www.medunigraz.at/idn/team/christa-einspieler/http://www.medunigraz.at/idn/team/peter-b-marschik/ Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 11330 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Abstract

Newborns are born into a social environment that dynamically responds to them. Newborn behaviors may not have explicit social intentions but will nonetheless affect the environment. Parents contingently respond to their child, enabling newborns to learn about the consequences of their behaviors and encouraging the behavior itself. Consequently, newborn behaviors may serve both biological and social-cognitive purposes during development.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 40 , 2017 , e394
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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