Warneken and Tomasello (2006) studied whether human infants are born altruistic and if it was more apparent than in our closest primate relative, chimpanzees. The independent variable was presenting eighteen-month-old infants four situational categories in which an adult needed aid: out-of-reach objects, access thwarted by a physical object, achieved a wrong but correctable result, and using a wrong but correctable method. After, there were three phrases in which the experimenter waited for a response from the infant: he focused on the object, his gaze switched between child and object, and finally he began to verbalize his problems. Each situational category had a corresponding control task, where the experimenter only looked at the object
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However, it is unlikely that the infant has no knowledge of the tasks or the concept of aid. The experiment failed to account for a third variable, the infants’ ability to observationally learn and imitate the behaviour of others. Imitation is apparent since the age of six months – which means that while the infants in this experiment may not be able to verbally communicate, it is possible for them to view someone performing an altruistic task similar to the ones in the experiment and emulating it. For example, watching their mother help open the door when their father’s hands happened to be full or watching their parent aid a store clerk who dropped a can while stacking them. The infant may then repeat their parents action in the same situation. While they can’t understand verbal reactions; the infant can deduce from facial expressions that they have pleased the adult. Through positive reinforcement, they’ll be further encouraged (pp.203).
However, it should be noted that an infant’s imitation does not mean blindly following a model. Infants analyze the intentions behind what a person wished to do and thereby learn through the analysis whether they should memorize the actions or not. This can further explain the reason why the infants held a bias towards
However, it is unlikely that the infant has no knowledge of the tasks or the concept of aid. The experiment failed to account for a third variable, the infants’ ability to observationally learn and imitate the behaviour of others. Imitation is apparent since the age of six months – which means that while the infants in this experiment may not be able to verbally communicate, it is possible for them to view someone performing an altruistic task similar to the ones in the experiment and emulating it. For example, watching their mother help open the door when their father’s hands happened to be full or watching their parent aid a store clerk who dropped a can while stacking them. The infant may then repeat their parents action in the same situation. While they can’t understand verbal reactions; the infant can deduce from facial expressions that they have pleased the adult. Through positive reinforcement, they’ll be further encouraged (pp.203).
However, it should be noted that an infant’s imitation does not mean blindly following a model. Infants analyze the intentions behind what a person wished to do and thereby learn through the analysis whether they should memorize the actions or not. This can further explain the reason why the infants held a bias towards