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The Nativist Approach

The Nativist Approach

The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to...

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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

What do We Know about Neonatal Cognition?

Arlette Streri^1,2, Maria Dolores de De Hevia^1,2, Véronique Izard^1,2

¹Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Cité, Paris, 75006, France.

Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)

|November 8, 2014

Summary

Newborn infants possess sophisticated perceptual and cognitive abilities, including sensory information processing, pattern recognition, and cross-modal matching. These foundational skills suggest complex cognitive development begins at birth.

Keywords:

cognition memory newborn perception

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Neonatology

Background:

Neonatal cognition research is a recent field compared to broader infant studies.
Extensive research over 60 years highlights infant cognitive abilities, but newborns remain understudied.
Understanding early cognitive development is crucial for developmental psychology and neuroscience.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the current understanding of neonatal cognition.
To identify and categorize the cognitive abilities present in newborn infants.
To establish the foundational nature of these abilities for human cognition.

Main Methods:

Utilized various experimental paradigms to assess newborn cognitive functions.
Focused on sensory processing, pattern recognition, and cross-modal capabilities.
Distinguished between abilities potentially acquired prenatally and those developed post-birth.

Main Results:

Newborns demonstrate sensory-level information processing across all senses.
Infants can discriminate shapes, faces, detect invariants, and exhibit recognition.
Newborns show abstract information processing, including comparison and cross-modal matching.

Conclusions:

Newborns possess high-level cognitive abilities, including perception and abstraction.
These abilities form the foundation for later human cognitive development.
Many neonatal cognitive skills are not solely a result of the prenatal environment.