Netflix takes a journey into the minds of infants.
Dr. Kiley Hamlin, a professor in the department of psychology, is one of 36 internationally recognized scientists featured in Babies a new Netflix docuseries released earlier this year. Babies is a scientific journey through babies’ first year. The series explores major milestones of development and relationships—and the science behind babies’ brains.
Last fall, the Babies’ production company filmed experiments taking place in Hamlin’s Centre for Infant Cognition on UBC’s campus. The Centre studies the development of moral and social thought and behaviours in babies. With baby participants, the researchers use puppet shows, videos, and interactive games to explore infants’ responses to social interactions and learn what they’re thinking about.
“Viewers will learn about research demonstrating that before babies can talk, they already understand actions like helping and harming, and evaluate individuals based on how they behave. This research suggests that pathways of moral development may begin far earlier than previously thought.”
Hamlin and her research team are featured in the episode “Relationships,” which explores babies’ understanding of good and bad social interactions. Their episode will be released on June 19.
The researchers are currently exploring babies’ social moral development from birth to age three in a longitudinal study of 500 babies. They want know what babies understand about social interactions, when they develop a sense of “good” and “bad”, and how they learn to be prosocial individuals. Expecting parents can sign up for the online study here.
“This series showcases incredible, groundbreaking science revealing the developmental leaps and bounds babies go through in the first year of life while capturing the personal and emotional journey of the family as a whole.”
Watch Babies on Netflix!
