The social brain

After an uncomplicated birth the newborn is wide awake, calm and very interested in their surroundings. Lynne Murray, a leading researcher in this area, shows that babies have a social brain. For example, newborns show a preference for people rather than objects and will turn towards a voice rather than other sounds. If they are given a choice between a face shaped pattern and a scrambled up pattern of facial features, a newborn will spend longer looking at the face pattern.

Did you know? Newborns can even put out their tongue in imitation of an adult. Incredibly, they can also pick out the distinctive smell of their own mother at just a few days old.