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A child's consciousness is formed at the age of five months
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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A group of neurophysiologists from central France reported that basic consciousness in children begins to form in the fifth or sixth month of life. Brain activity can indicate the presence of consciousness and the ability of conscious perception in children even at an early age. The main properties of consciousness, which were noted by doctors as the most important, are the ability to analyze, remember certain actions, and distinguish between one's own and others' actions.
Consciousness is the way in which reality and the surrounding reality are reflected in the psyche (the totality of mental phenomena, processes and perceptions). Specialists from Paris spent six months studying the activity of the brain in both adults and children of different ages. They managed to find out that electrophysiological signs of quite conscious perception can occur not only in adults, but also in children aged five to six months.
The results of the study were published in scientific periodicals in France and Western Europe. The experiment consisted of neurophysiologists studying and analyzing brain activity in adults and children aged five, twelve and fifteen months. The participants in the experiment were shown distorted photographs and images for a split second, and brain activity was recorded electronically during the demonstration.
During the analysis of brain activity, scientists were able to establish that when viewing photographs, children had the same electrophysical reactions as adults, despite the fact that they were much slower. At the moment, it is known that the human brain is capable of processing images seen in two stages. During the first display of an image or photograph, the peak of brain activity is associated with the receipt of new and previously unknown information. At the first stage, the primary processing of the new information received occurs. After some time (about 300 milliseconds), brain activity moves to the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which, according to modern neurophysiologists, is responsible for the formation of primary consciousness and perception. Increased activity in this area of the brain tells specialists that the image was noticed earlier and became recognizable.
Scientists have noticed that two stages of processing new information occur in children from the age of five months. Accordingly, five-month-old children can perceive information, remember it, analyze it, and therefore it can be considered that their consciousness is beginning to form. With each month, children are able to process and perceive information faster and better. For comparison: six-month-old children perceive one image in 900 milliseconds, while fifteen-month-olds perceive it in only 750 milliseconds. With age, the child learns to remember new information and recognize it later.
British scientists do not quite agree with the conclusions of their colleagues from France. They believe that the experiment conducted is not enough to draw any conclusions about the consciousness of small children.
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