Newborns Know Their Body Well: Study

Infants have sense of self. They can differentiate their bodies from others, a latest study by UK researchers sates.

The researchers tested 20 babies for the study. These newborns were shown a video of a different baby's face being touched with paintbrush on the cheek. After sometime the cheeks of the babies watching the video were stroked.

The study authors found the babies to be more interested in looking at the other baby when they were stroked at the same time. "The identification of these mechanisms at birth in the current study sheds light on the typical trajectory of body awareness across development," said Maria Laura Filippetti of Birkbeck College, University of London.

"Our findings may also be relevant to the investigation of early predictors of developmental disorders in infants, such as autism, where impairment in the discrimination of self/other is believed to be present," Filippetti said.

According to the researchers, the study observations show that when what babies see in relation to their own bodies matches what they feel, they notice just as adults do, researchers wrote in a press release.

Filippetti explained that the babies are "competent creatures" and can differentiate themselves from others.

The researchers stated that the findings of the study might help in understanding disorders characterized by a lack of self-awareness, which can be explored further, particularly autism.

"For years, research on autism has focused on the impairment in social interactions," Filippetti said. "We believe it will be important for further studies to specifically investigate the perception of the self in this population, as well as the relationship of self to other."

The study is published in the journal Current Biology.