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examBoard: AQA
examType: GCSE
lessonTitle: Behaviour in Neonates
Babies are born with an amazing set of built-in behaviours that help them survive and connect with their caregivers. These behaviours aren't learned - they're already there from birth! In this section, we'll explore what newborn babies (neonates) can do and why these behaviours matter.
Key Definitions:
Studying how babies behave helps us understand:
A newborn's brain is only about 25% of its adult size but is wired for essential survival functions and social connection. The brain regions controlling reflexes and basic emotions are already working at birth, while areas for complex thinking develop later. This explains why babies can recognise faces and express emotions before they can talk or solve problems.
Reflexes are automatic responses that babies are born with. They don't need to be taught and serve important survival functions. These reflexes typically disappear after a few months as the baby's brain develops more control.
When a baby's cheek is stroked, they turn their head toward the touch and open their mouth. This helps them find the breast or bottle for feeding.
Evolutionary purpose: Helps ensure the baby can locate food sources.
When something touches a baby's palm, they automatically grip it tightly. This reflex is so strong that some newborns can briefly support their own weight!
Evolutionary purpose: May have helped babies cling to their mothers when humans were more nomadic.
When held upright with feet touching a surface, babies make stepping movements as if walking.
Evolutionary purpose: May prepare babies for later walking, though they won't actually walk for months.
When startled by a loud noise or sudden movement, babies throw out their arms and legs, then pull them back in, often while crying.
Evolutionary purpose: May help babies cling to their mothers when sensing danger or may trigger protective responses from caregivers.
Babies automatically suck when something touches the roof of their mouth.
Evolutionary purpose: Essential for feeding and survival.
In a groundbreaking study, researchers showed that newborns as young as 42 minutes old could imitate facial expressions like tongue protrusion and mouth opening. This suggests that babies are born with the ability to match what they see others do with their own body movements - a crucial skill for social learning. This challenges earlier views that babies are simply "blank slates" at birth.
One of the most fascinating aspects of neonate behaviour is how babies respond to faces from the very beginning of life.
Newborns show a clear preference for looking at face-like patterns over non-face patterns. Research by Johnson and Morton (1991) found that babies prefer to look at simple face-like arrangements (two dots above a line) over the same elements arranged differently. This suggests we're born with a built-in "face detector" that helps us focus on the most important social stimuli in our environment.
Newborns can see best at a distance of about 20-30 cm - roughly the distance between a mother's face and her baby when feeding. They prefer:
By just a few days old, babies can recognise their mother's face and voice. In studies where babies are shown photos of their mother and a stranger, they look longer at their mother's face. This early recognition helps form attachment and is likely based on smell, voice and visual cues.
Babies are born with the ability to express basic emotions through facial expressions. These expressions are remarkably similar across cultures, suggesting they are innate rather than learned.
Newborns show two types of smiles:
Different cries communicate different needs:
Babies show interest through:
Researchers Ekman and Friesen studied facial expressions across different cultures, including people from isolated tribes with little exposure to Western media. They found that basic emotional expressions like happiness, sadness, fear and surprise were recognised similarly across all cultures studied. This suggests these expressions are universal and innate rather than culturally learned. Similar studies with newborns show they display these same basic expressions, further supporting the idea that we're born with the ability to express emotions through our faces.
Neonates display several behaviours that help form attachments with caregivers, essential for survival and emotional development.
Crying is a powerful signal that brings caregivers to attend to the baby's needs. Babies also make cooing sounds that encourage social interaction. These vocalisations are reinforced when adults respond positively, creating a feedback loop that strengthens attachment.
Newborns prefer to look at eyes over other facial features and can maintain eye contact from birth. This eye contact releases oxytocin (the "bonding hormone") in both baby and caregiver, strengthening their emotional connection.
Studying babies presents unique challenges since they can't follow instructions or tell us what they're thinking. Researchers have developed clever methods to understand neonate behaviour:
Measuring how long babies look at different stimuli. Babies typically look longer at things they find interesting or surprising, giving us insight into what they can perceive and understand.
Monitoring heart rate, breathing and stress hormones to understand babies' responses to different situations. These measures can show reactions even when facial expressions don't change.
Recording and carefully analysing babies' movements, expressions and responses frame by frame to identify patterns that might not be obvious in real-time observation.
The study of neonate behaviour has revolutionised our understanding of human development. We now know that babies are born with sophisticated abilities that help them connect with caregivers and learn about their world. These innate behaviours have evolved over thousands of years to ensure survival and promote social bonding.
Understanding these behaviours helps parents respond appropriately to their babies' needs and supports healthy development. It also provides insight into the foundations of human social behaviour and how our brains are wired from birth to connect with others.
When discussing neonate behaviour in your exam, remember to:
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