Toddlers learn by testing hypotheses and analyzing evidence, just like scientists are trained to do.

Experimenting With Bubbles A young human investigates the Young-Laplace equation. Wikimedia Commons

Young kids think and learn about their surroundings much the way that scientists think and learn in advanced experiments, a new study says. They form hypotheses, test them, analyze their findings and learn from their actions and the actions of others — all in child’s play.

A growing body of evidence about this style of learning shows yet again that early childhood education is crucial — but it also shows making preschool more academic could actually be detrimental, according to scientists at the University of California, Berkeley.

Kids learn using probabilistic models, approaching the world through patterns and using those patterns to make predictions. This can lead to drastic reformulations of a worldview — just like scientific experiments can, according to Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology and philosophy at Cal and lead author of the new study. For instance, she had kids play with an electronic setup that lights up and plays music, if certain pieces are arranged in a certain way. The kids will try different combinations and arrangements, learning what works and what doesn’t, and change their approaches based on that evidence.

“Everyday playing is a kind of experimentation — it's a way of experimenting with the world, getting data the way that scientists do and then using that data to draw new conclusions,” Gopnik said.

These findings are based on new research methods and mathematical models that are helping scientists study the way children learn. The kid-as-scientist theory is not as obvious as you might think, especially given the way lesson plans are formulated today. Children, especially at preschool age, should not necessarily get flash cards or strict lessons — they should be encouraged to examine cause and effect by playing with things and seeing how they work, Gopnik says. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and published in Science on Friday.

[NSF]

11 Comments

From the story of the Sumerians, the Gods made several versions of humans to serve them in gathering of materials from Earth. Eventually the gods settled upon one model type of human.
It would stand to reason, if a higher authority wanted to create a good hard working human to gather materials for them, they would install in our DNA higher level of knowledge, curiosity and imagination to problem solve and curiosity for the gathering of materials with a desire to do so\greed. These attributes are unique to humans alone and ever desire to grab more resources and our curiosity thirst is never quenched!
From the Early story from genesis, our sin was to eat the forbidden fruit. We did this, because of programmed DNA.
The Gods did have wars with each other and not all was content in the cosmos above. One God was thrown down to Earth and removed from his power for his ambitions. I find it hard to imagine in a perfect cosmos, not all was so perfect; rather strange.
It was later written often in scripture of various times and different stories, of how one God had to do much cleansing on Earth of the sinful humans, greed is a sin and human knowledge has no meaning or value to GOD.
Well, the good news is, the meek\discipline shall inherit the Earth. I do suppose that offers some hope.

Still we, humans all are most full of want\greed with an unstoppable curiosity. I wonder how things will end.

Maybe the Robots will rule Earth at the end, we are rather disaplined.

*facepalm*

Once again, science proves the obvious. How much money was just spent to "discover" that kids can figure out how to do things on their own?

@SirCumference

And how do we know what is obvious and what is not, if not by testing and checking results?

If we take all "obvious" things as facts, we would still believe the sun turns around the Earth.

I meant, how do we know "what is true and what is not" (at least within our current knowledge).

Psychology studies often seem to point apparently obvious things, but sometimes we also find things that seem counter-intuitive and against the common wisdom, it's never a waste of time to double check that common wisdom, we may find something new when we less expect it.

SirCumference, nice icon.

My Liege, the article does belong under "Science Confirms the Obvious". They probably spent thousands and learned what we already knew.

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
Mark Twain

Why is there not a second type animal on Earth that is similar homosapien? We are great by large leaps in intelligence from all other monkey or apes. We are alone, because we were made from the Gods\aliens from above.

Our DNA does include the science of evolution of animals on Earth and also does include outside influences. While historic record had no scientific technical vocabulary to describe the events of the past, it was still noted and witness by and informally educated to the created humans that were made. This observation was noted by many different various religious records\scriptures.

We humans were made to serve the Gods. It is in our DNA to be intelligent, curious and greedy. We were designed by the 2nd God that served the 1st God. The 1st God was not pleased with the 2nd God and removed him of his power and cast him down to Earth. The 1st God on many occasions cleans the Earth of the greedy, selfish, curious self-righteous humans. And it was the 1st God that was also merciful too. We are a product of some else’s doing and were originally nature to the Earth prior to tampering.

I never understood in religious terms in in perfect heaven\cosmos why the 2nd God would be cast out of heaven, unless all things in heaven are not perfect and the Gods are not Gods at all, but just extremely old and intelligent beings from the Cosmos, who sometimes disagree with each other.

In regards to the first God, I suggest if you meet him, be obedient. His judgment is swift.

Hello Robot,
From what you write I take it that you are of the opinion that humans were made by a higher being…the “Gods” you mention…for the purpose of gathering materials that these higher beings found useful.
This civilization of "Gods" is obviously capable of interstellar travel and therefore quite advanced. If they needed labor would it not be more logical to construct a robot that does exactly what it is told rather than a human that can be chaotic? Also, humans have weaknesses that machines do not.
I am not saying that it is not possible. We are getting into genetic engineering and humans have not been farther than the moon. However I do find the creation of a human for the purpose of labor to not be a logical choice when an independent machine with artificial intelligence can be built.

matsci1,
You make a good point, as long at the robot has all knowledge of his environment and can get along with the natives as well. It is very true a robot or highly intelligent manufacturing machine is very practical and efficient, but it does need a standard known environment to function.
Humans or the apes before them with evolution were naturally adapted to the environment. They just need some upgrades.

I also consider that while humans were made in the image of the Gods, it was actually the 2nd God that made the choice to tweak the DNA and invent our current human for the purpose of gathering materials. I also believe the 1st God was not pleased with the results of the 2nd God and perhaps no sanction the idea at all, so the 1st God was left to clean up the mess of all these hybrids running about. In many Great mythology and Egyptian’s drawing and other cultures we have all kinds of mutants running about. The bible notes the same thing with beast from the past as the 2nd God and his angles mating with the woman on Earth. Yes the 1st God cleans the world on several occasions and was also merciful in leaving the promising humans left.

The next coming of the 1st God will again do another cleans of Earth of greedy, selfish humans, who will in the future about to destroy Earth, Earth’s environment and our human selves.

On a side note, the 2nd God was removed of power and cast down on Earth. He was not destroyed. So he could be alive and well prospering on Earth today. Have you notice on Earth, none of us exchange in gold anymore. We all exchange in paper money or electronic money. Where is all this gold being stored and might it be carried off to another cosmic place one day too?

If Gods become highly intelligent alien life forms from above with their own personal agenda (Occasionally warring with each other), then evolution and science on Earth works as well as creating and inventing humans on Earth too. And the context of our religious text works as well, since it about developing our inner being and maturity. And our scriptures or religious text are written without science or technical frame of mind, and with much education or information being fed from the Gods, be the 1st God, 2nd God or Angles-different messengers of God or Gods.

Now as I said earlier, maybe the 2nd God is the one who created humans and it also noted in religious text that the God who was tossed to Earth was also considered a liar. So perhaps he fed a lot of miss-information originally to the humans as well.

Imagine the task the 1st God has to clean up all this mess! The 1st God could completely Earth, but he does find solutions for keeping some of us around. Thank you GOD!

Come to think of it, had the first God had made us, we may of been much like Robots and perfect in so many ways for the function we were designed. My guess, the 1st God delegated to the 2nd God, go to Earth and gather materials and as it was written by the Sumerians, the Gods got tired of gather and argue among themselves not to do the gathering, hence came the R&D program to develop humans.

In reality, the 1st God wanted Earth, its environment and human\ape type people to be left alone and natural with evolution. Which is why no robots or perfect humans were made in the first place.

The 2nd God was the rebellious one, the liar and the mad scientist to go tweak with human\apes and animals on earth.
Yup, all in the cosmos is not perfect and there are individuals with different goals.


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