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Chapter 6: Problem 4

Describe the sense of self that children possess in the first two years of life. Infants begin to develop self-awareness at about the age of 12 months.

Short Answer

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Infants start without self-awareness, responding only to stimuli. By six months, they begin to recognize themselves in mirrors. By 12 months, they understand that they are separate beings with their own desires and choices. Over the second year of life, their sense of self develops further with the development of self-consciousness and the ability to recognize themselves in photographs.

Step by step solution

01

Describe Self-awareness in Infants

Initially, newborn babies do not have self-awareness, meaning they do not realize they are separate from their surroundings or other people. They respond instinctively to stimuli such as light, sounds, and touch.
02

Discuss the Development at 6 months

Around six months of age, babies start to recognize themselves, which can often be discerned by observing their reaction to their reflection in a mirror. However, this recognition is mainly based on external features and does not extend to internal states.
03

Detail Self-awareness at 12 months

By about 12 months, babies begin to develop a more complex sense of self. They start to understand that they are separate from other people and can have an impact on their environment. This self-awareness is characterized by the understanding that they have personal desires and can make choices to fulfill these desires.
04

Explain Development during the Second Year

During the second year of life, children continue to develop their sense of self. They begin to show signs of self-consciousness, recognizing that they can be the object of others' attention. They also become able to recognize and identify themselves in photographs, indicating a clear understanding of 'self'.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Summarize the theory of mind and evidence of infants' growing sense of mental activity by the age of two. Infants also begin to develop a theory of mind at this time: knowledge and beliefs about how they and others think.

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