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Consciousness in the cradle: on the emergence of infant experience

Tim Bayne, Joel Frohlich, Rhodri Cusack, Julia Moser, Lorina Naci

Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.08.018 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Review Peer reviewed
Population Infants and fetuses
Key findings Consciousness is likely present in early infancy and may even occur before birth.

Abstract

Highlights The study of infant (and fetal) consciousness is emerging as a distinctive research focus in the science of consciousness. Converging evidence from studies of functional network connectivity, attention, multimodal integration, and cortical responses to global oddballs suggests that consciousness is likely to be in place in early infancy and may even occur before birth. Recent research is beginning to provide clues about both the content and structure of infant consciousness.