Babies learn to tell friend from 敵 after just six months

By FIONA MACRAE

Last updated at 10:26 22 November 2007


At the tender age of six months he has yet to say first word, or take his first hesitant step.

He can, however, tell his friends from his enemies.

Scientists have shown that the ability to distinguish friend from 敵 is 現在の from the first few months of life, 示唆するing it is something we are born with.

研究員s watched how two groups of babies 反応するd when 直面するd with a game in which a brightly coloured 木造の toy 繰り返して tried and failed to 規模 a hill.

Sitting in their parents' （競技場の）トラック一周s, the youngsters looked on as a second toy helped shunt the 登山者 toy up the hill, or a third 押し進めるd him 負かす／撃墜する it.

The babies, who were 老年の six and ten months old, 繰り返して reached for helpful toy, 示唆するing they liked it more.

The helpful toy was preferred by all 12 of the six-month-olds 熟考する／考慮するd and 14 of the 16 ten-month-olds, the 定期刊行物 Nature 報告（する）／憶測s.

変化させるing the 実験 わずかに showed that the babies also preferred the helpful toy to a '中立の' one that neither helped or 妨げるd the 登山者.

The 研究員s, from Yale University in Connecticut in the US, were also able to show that the babies were not 単に 反応するing to the direction in which the 人物／姿／数字s were moving.

The 研究員s said: "The presence of social evaluation so 早期に in 幼少／幼藍期 示唆するs that 査定する／（税金などを）課すing individuals by the nature of their interactions with others is central to 過程ing the social world, both evolutionary and developmentally.

"This supports the 見解（をとる） that our ability to 評価する people is a 生物学の adaptation - 全世界の／万国共通の and unlearned."

研究員 Kiley Hamlin (BOTH CORR) said it was likely the 現象 had its roots 深い in 進化, with the ability to tell the difference between helpful sorts and freeloaders 利益ing the 生き残り of our hunter-gatherer forbearers.

She said: "The capacity for such evaluations can be see as a 生物学の adaptation: 協同組合 behaviour such as gro up-追跡（する）ing, food 株ing and 戦争 can be 有益な to individual members of a group, but can only 首尾よく 発展させる if individuals can distinguish 解放する／自由な riders from cooperators or reciprocators, those willing to do their fair 株."

示唆するing the 技術 formed the basis of a more general ability to tell 権利 from wrong, she 追加するd: "The capacity to 評価する individuals by their social interactions may also serve as a 創立／基礎 for developing a system of moral cognition.

"Plainly, many 面s of a 十分な-育てる／巣立つd moral system are beyond the しっかり掴む of the pre-言葉の 幼児.

"Yet the ability to 裁判官 differentially those who 成し遂げる 肯定的な and 消極的な social 行為／法令／行動するs may form an 必須の basis for any system that will 結局 含む／封じ込める more abstract 概念s of 権利 and wrong."

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