New research indicates that babies with a wide range of social interactions in their early years are better equipped to overcome their biases by the age of 17. This finding comes from neuroscientist Saskia Koch at the Donders Institute and Radboud University.
New research shows that infants who engage with diverse social groups in their early years tend to overcome prejudices more effectively by the time they reach 17. This claim is backed by findings from neuroscientist Saskia Koch of the Donders Institute and Radboud University.
People often hold stereotypes, which can affect their behavior. As Koch explains, “When you form an opinion about someone, it can shape how you interact with them. Consider how your communication differs with a child versus an adult.”
For her study, Koch analyzed data from the Nijmegen longitudinal study that tracks individuals from infancy. Teenagers still involved in the study completed a new task, while the researchers first looked into their daycare attendance as infants. “We speculated that children attending daycare frequently had varied social experiences, encountering different caregivers and peers from diverse backgrounds.” When these children turned 17, they were tasked with playing a game.
Game
In this game, participants had to collaborate with a partner whom they couldn’t see. Both players aimed to find an item on a gameboard, but only the 17-year-old was aware of its location. They had to convey this information without spoken communication, developing non-verbal cues to assist the other player in locating the object. Koch elaborates: “They crafted communicative strategies, which could include specific movements, to facilitate the other person’s discovery.”
In one version of the game, the teens believed they were playing with a 5-year-old, and in another, they thought it was an adult, even though the partner was the same in both situations. Initially, the teenagers modified their communication styles when they assumed their partner was a child, emphasizing their movements. However, how quickly they dropped this approach depended on their early daycare experience. Koch notes: “We observed that 17-year-olds exposed to various people as infants were quicker to move beyond stereotypes. They didn’t remain fixed on the notion of playing with a child; instead, they recognized that the ‘child’ was capable and adjusted their interaction accordingly.”
Letting go of stereotypes
Koch suggests this means that early social exposure helps infants shed stereotypes later on. These individuals become more attuned to social cues and can more readily dismiss preconceived notions about their peers. “Having many varied social experiences in the early years equips us to better respond to our partners’ needs during social interactions.”
