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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

A View of Their Own: Capturing the Egocentric View of Infants and Toddlers with Head-Mounted Cameras

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A survey of views about infant consciousness.

Claudia Passos-Ferreira¹, David J Chalmers²

¹Center for Bioethics, New York University, New York, NY, United States.

Neuroscience of Consciousness

|June 3, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Experts believe newborns are conscious, with consciousness emerging prenatally and self-consciousness postnatally. Sensory and affective consciousness are prioritized in infants, with sensory cortex as the neural basis.

Keywords:

consciousness infant consciousness methodology theories and models

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Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Neuroscience
Philosophy of Mind

Background:

Understanding infant consciousness is crucial for developmental psychology and neuroscience.
Existing research presents diverse theories on the emergence and nature of consciousness in infants.
Defining and measuring infant consciousness remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To survey expert opinions on key issues regarding infant consciousness.
To identify consensus and divergence among consciousness researchers on infant cognition.
To inform future research directions in the study of infant consciousness.

Main Methods:

A survey was administered to attendees of two major consciousness conferences.
Questions covered the timing of consciousness emergence, neural correlates, types of consciousness, and research methodologies.
Respondents' views on newborn consciousness, self-consciousness, and the neural basis of infant consciousness were collected.

Main Results:

A majority of experts believe newborns are conscious.
Consciousness is thought to emerge prenatally (after 24 weeks gestation), while self-consciousness emerges postnatally (after 6 months).
Sensory and affective consciousness are considered most likely in infants, with sensory cortex as the probable neural basis. Behavioral and neural markers are preferred for study.

Conclusions:

There is a prevailing expert consensus on the consciousness of newborns and the timing of its emergence.
The study highlights a preference for sensory and affective aspects of infant consciousness.
Future research on infant consciousness should prioritize behavioral and neural markers.