SSS 2012-05-23
时间:2012-06-28 03:02:44
搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号:tingroom,领取免费英语资料大礼包。
(单词翻译)
It’s a confusing world for babies. To make sense of it, they look for intellectual stimulation1. But they’re only interested if what they look at is not too hard to comprehend—or boringly easy. Researchers call it the Goldilocks effect, in a study in the journal Public Library of Science One.
Seventy-two seven- and eight-month-old babies had their eye movements tracked as they watched videos. They sat on their parents’ laps for security—but the grown-ups wore visors and headphones, so they couldn’t see the videos and give
subconscious2 cues.
In the videos, objects appeared behind or in boxes. When a video became too boring—exactly the same thing happened all the time—the babies lost interest and looked away.
But when the videos got too complex—with no pattern or action that could be anticipated—the babies again stopped looking. They needed just enough
complexity3.
The researchers say the study suggests that babies need some element of surprise to maintain attention. They add this finding is reminiscent of theories about adult learners, who might lose interest if material is too easy or too hard. Like Goldlocks’s porridge, it has to be just right.
Thanks for the minute for Scientific American 60 second Science, I am Cynthia Graber.
分享到: