Consciousness in the Cradle: On the Emergence of Infant Experience by Tim Bayne & Joel Frohlich

Abstract: Although each of us was once a baby, infant consciousness remains mysterious, and there is no received view about when—and in what form—consciousness first emerges. Some theorists defend a ‘late onset’ view, suggesting that consciousness requires cognitive capacities which are unlikely to be in place before the child’s first birthday at the very earliest. Other theorists defend an ‘early onset’ account, suggesting that consciousness is likely to be in place at birth, and may even arise during the third trimester. Progress in this field has been difficult, not just because of the challenges associated with procuring the relevant behavioural and neural data, but also because of uncertainty about how best to study consciousness in the absence of the capacity for verbal report or intentional behaviour. This review examines both the empirical and methodological progress in this field, arguing that recent research points in favour of early-onset accounts of the emergence of consciousness.

Tim Bayne
Monash University

Joel Frohlich
University of Tübingen

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