Day 167

While we've been noting how Vidhi is progressing and crossing various milestones of infant life, today I want to talk about what she is not doing. This provides opportunity to differentiate nature/innate origin of certain actions/reflexes versus nurture/learned behaviours.



For example, among adults, yawns are highly contagious. In fact, you are probably yawning right now, just by reading the word. We don't observe the same with Vidhi yet, at age of 5.5 months and she can ignore yawns just as well.



It's obvious that language is a learned, yet it came to our surprise that following direction (when we point at things with out fingers or raise our arms) is also learned, even though, as adults, we cannot think otherwise.



My notion that infants will readily mimic whoever is around them is also shattered when Vidhi fails to open her mouth or move her palms/hands as we do, despite our obviously oversize gestures. It's been observed in kids a little older than her so I expect it will happen sooner or later, but it will be interesting to note where the boundary is.



As of now, Vidhi is unperturbed by her refection in mirror and isn't attracted to it. In steps of development of conscience, it is said that she will regard reflection as another person, until she come to realize that it's her, at about age of three.