How children's amazing brains shaped humanity, with Alison Gopnik, PhD
As a species, humans have an extra-long childhood. And as any parent or caregiver knows, kids are expensive\u2014they take an extraordinary amount of time, energy and resources to raise. So why do we have such a long childhood? What\u2019s in it for us as a species? According to Alison Gopnik, PhD, of the University of California, Berkeley, the answer is that kids are the "R&D division of humanity," with brains\xa0optimized to explore the world and seek out new knowledge and experiences. Gopnik discusses her research and its implications for how we think about the purpose of childhood, how we raise and educate our children, the role of grandparents in teaching the next generation, and even how we might develop artificial intelligence systems inspired by children\u2019s remarkable learning abilities.\xa0\n Are you enjoying Speaking of Psychology? We\u2019d love to know what you think of the podcast, what you would change about it, and what you\u2019d like to hear more of. Please take our listener survey at www.apa.org/podcastsurvey.\n Links Alison Gopnik, PhD\n Music Inspiring Dramatic Beat #07\xa0by tyops\xa0via Freesound.org\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices