When do kids start to care about other people's opinions? | Sara Valencia Botto

Translator: Olatz Ortiz Reviewer: Maider Uranga

I'd like you to take a moment

Har ezazue momentu bat

and consider what you are wearing right now.

eta pentsatu zer daramazuen jantzita orain.

I have a deep, philosophical question for you.

Pentsatzeko galdera filosofikoa daukat zuentzat.

Zergatik ez daramatzagu orain jantzita guztiok pijama erosoak?

Why are we not all wearing comfortable pajamas right now?

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

Well, I'm a psychologist and not a mind reader,

Beno, psikologoa naiz eta ez igarlea,

although many people think that's the same thing.

nahiz eta askok gauza bera direla pentsatzen duten.

I can bet you that your response is somewhere along the lines of,

Jokatu dezaket zuen erantzuna honelako zerbait dela:

"I'm expected to not wear pj's in public"

"Nigandik espero da jendaurrean pijamarik ez eramatea."

or "I don't want people to think I am a slob."

edo "Ez dut jendeak zikina naizela pentsatzerik nahi."

Either way, the fact that we all chose to wear business casual clothing,

Batera edo bestera, guztiok erabaki dugu arropa serio/kasuala eramatea,

as opposed to our favorite pair of sweatpants,

eta ez gure txandal praka gogokoenak.

is not a silly coincidence.

Hau ez da kointzidentzia hutsa.

Instead, it reveals two defining human characteristics.

Izan ere, gizakien bi ezaugarri bereizgarri erakusten ditu.

The first is that we are cognizant of what other people value,

Lehenengoa da beste pertsonek baloratzen dutenaren kontziente garela,

like what they will approve or disapprove of,

hau da: zer onartuko edo zer gaitzetsiko duten dakigu,

such as not wearing pj's to these sorts of settings.

honelako ekitaldietara pijamarik ez eramatea bezala.

And two, we've readily used this information to guide our behavior.

Eta bi, berehala darabilgu informazio hori gure portaera gidatzeko.

Unlike many other species,

Beste espezie asko ez bezala,

humans are prone to tailor their behavior in the presence of others

gizakiek haien portaera moldatzeko ohitura dute beste pertsonen aurrean

to garner approval.

haien onespena lortzeko.

We spend valuable time putting on make up,

Denbora baliotsua ematen dugu makillatzen,

choosing the right picture and Instagram filter,

argazki eta Instagram filtro egokiak aukeratzen,

and composing ideas that will undoubtedly change the world

eta dudarik gabe mundua aldatuko dituzten ideiak osatzen

in 140 characters or less.

140 karaktere edo gutxiagotan.

Clearly, our concern with how other people will evaluate us

Argi eta garbi, besteek nola ebaluatuko gaituzten kezka

is a big part of being human.

gizaki izatearen parte handia da.

Despite this being a big human trait, however,

Hau gizakien ezaugarri handia bada ere,

we know relatively little about when and how

gutxi dakigu besteen iritzia noiz eta non

egiten den garrantzitsua.

we come to care about the opinion of others.

Now, this is a big question that requires many studies.

Hau ikerketa asko behar dituen galdera handia da.

But the first step to uncovering this question

Galdera hau erantzuteko eman behar den lehenengo pausoa da

is to investigate when in development

ikertzea noiz, garapen prozesuan, bilakatzen garen

we become sensitive to others' evaluations.

besteen ebaluazioekiko sentikor.

I have spent the past four years at Emory University

Azken lau urteak Emory Unibertsitatean eman ditut

investigating how an infant,

ikertzen nola ume bat,

who has no problem walking around the grocery store in her onesie,

bere ume arropekin denda batean ibiltzeko arazorik ez duena,

develops into an adult that fears public speaking

jendaurrean hitz egiteko beldurra duen pertsona helduan bilakatzen den,

for fear of being negatively judged.

gaizki epaitua izatearen beldur duelako.

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

Now, this is usually a point when people ask me,

Orain, hau da momentua non jendeak galdetzen didan

"How do you investigate this question, exactly?

"Nola ikertzen duzu galdera hau, zehazki?

Infants can't talk, right?"

Haurrek ezin dute hitz egin, ezta?"

Well, if my husband were up here right now,

Beno, nire senarra oraintxe hemen balego,

he would tell you that I interview babies,

haur txikiak elkarrizketatzen ditudala esango lizueke,

because he would rather not say that his wife experiments on children.

nahiago baitu ez esatea bere emazteak umeekin esperimentuak egiten dituela.

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

In reality, I design experiments for children,

Egia esan, umeentzako esperimentuak diseinatzen ditut,

usually in the form of games.

gehienetan jolas forman.

Developmental psychologist Dr. Philippe Rochat and I

Philippe Rochat garapen psikologoak eta biok

designed a "game" called "The Robot Task"

"The Robot Task" izeneko "jolasa diseinatu dugu

to explore when children would begin to be sensitive

umeak besteen ebaluazioekiko sentikor izaten

to the evaluation of others.

noiz hasten diren exploratzeko.

Specifically, the robot task captures when children, like adults,

Zehazki, beste pertsonak begiratzen daudenean umeek, helduek bezala,

strategically modify their behavior when others are watching.

haien portaera nola aldatzen duten atzematen du robotaren zereginak.

To do this, we showed 14 to 24-month-old infants

Hau egiteko, 14 eta 24 hilabete bitarteko umeei irakatsi genien

how to activate a toy robot,

nola piztu jostailuzko robota.

and importantly, we either assigned a positive value,

eta, oso garrantzitsua, balio positiboa eman genion

saying "Wow, isn't that great!"

"Wow, hori ikarragarria da!" esanez,

or a negative value, saying, "Oh, oh. Oops, oh no,"

edo negatiboa "Oh, Oh. Oops, oh ez." esanez

after pressing the remote.

urrutiko kontrola sakatu ondoren.

Following this toy demonstration,

Jostailu erakusketaren ondoren,

we invited the infants to play with the remote,

haurrak urrutiko kontrolarekin jolastera gonbidatu genituen,

and then either watched them

eta batzuetan begira egoten ginen, edo

or turned around and pretended to read a magazine.

buelta eman eta aldizkaria irakurtzen geundela egiten genuen.

The idea was that if by 24 months,

Ideia zen umeak 24 hilabeteekin,

children are indeed sensitive to the evaluation of others,

besteen ebaluazioekiko sentikorrak balira,

then their button-pressing behavior should be influenced

haien botoia sakatzeko joera eraginda egongo litekeela

not only by whether or not they're being watched

gu begira egoteagatik ala ez egoteagatik

but also by the values that the experimenter expressed

eta ikertzaileak botoia sakatzean

towards pressing the remote.

adierazitako balioagatik.

So for example,

Beraz, adibidez,

we would expect children to play with the positive remote significantly more

umeek urrutiko kontrol positiboarekin gehiago jolastea esperoko genuke

norbait begiratzen balego,

if they were being observed

but then choose to explore the negative remote

eta urrutiko kontrol negatiboa aukeratzea

once no one was watching.

inor begiratzen ez zegoenean.

To really capture this phenomenon, we did three variations of the study.

Fenomeno hau ondo harrapatzeko, hiru ikerketa desberdin egin genituen.

Study one explored how infants would engage with a novel toy

Lehenengoak aztertu zuen nola erabiliko luketen umeek jostailu bat

if there were no values or instructions provided.

agindu eta baliorik emango ez balitzaizkio.

So we simply showed infants how to activate the toy robot,

Beraz, umeei robota nola piztu bakarrik erakutsi genien,

but didn't assign any values,

baliorik adierazi gabe,

and we also didn't tell them that they could play with the remote,

eta ez genien esan kontrolarekin jolastu ahal zuten,

providing them with a really ambiguous situation.

egoera anbiguoa sortuz.

In study two,

Bigarren ikerketan,

we incorporated the two values, a positive and a negative.

bi balioak txertatu genituen, positiboa eta negatiboa.

And in the last study, we had two experimenters and one remote.

Eta azkenengo ikerketan, bi ikertzaile eta urrutiko kontrol bat geneuzkan.

One experimenter expressed a negative value towards pressing the remote,

Ikertzaile batek balio negatiboa adierazi zuen kontrola sakatzean,

saying, "Yuck, the toy moved,"

"Puaj, jostailua mugitu da." esanez,

while the other experimenter expressed a positive value, saying,

eta beste ikertzaileak balio positiboa eman zion

"Ondo, jostailua mugitu da." esanez.

"Yay, the toy moved."

And this is how the children reacted to these three different scenarios.

Eta honela erantzun zuten haurrek hiru egoera hauen aurrean.

So in study one, the ambiguous situation,

Beraz, lehenengoan, egoera anbiguoan,

I'm currently watching the child.

Umea begiratzen nago.

She doesn't seem to be too interested in pressing the remote.

Ez dirudi kontrola sakatzeko interesik duenik.

Once I turned around --

Bueltatzen naizenean,

now she's ready to play.

orain badago jolasteko prest.

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

Currently, I'm not watching the child.

Orain, ez nago haurra begiratzen.

She's really focused.

Oso kontzentratuta dago.

I turn around.

Buelta ematen dut.

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

She wasn't doing anything, right?

Ez zegoen ezer egiten, ezta?

In study two, it's the two remotes,

Bigarren ikerketan, bi urrutiko kontrol daude,

one with the positive and one with the negative value.

bata balio positiboarekin, eta bestea balio negatiboarekin

I'm currently observing the child.

Orain haurra begiratzen nago.

And the orange remote is a negative remote.

Eta kontrol laranja kontrol negatiboa da.

She's just looking around, looking at me, hanging out.

Ingurua begiratzen dago, niri begira, denbora pasatzen.

Then I turn around ...

Gero buelta ematen dut...

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

That's what she's going for.

Hori da bilatzen dagoena.

I'm not watching the child.

Ez nago umea begiratzen.

He wants the mom to play with it, right?

Amak berarekin jolastea nahi du, ezta?

Take a safer route.

Bide errazagoa hartu.

I turn around ...

Buelta ematen dut...

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

He wasn't doing anything, either.

Ez zegoen ezer egiten ezta ere.

Yeah, he feels awkward.

Deseroso sentitzen da.

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

Everyone knows that side-eyed glance, right?

Guztiok ezagutzen dugu begirada hori, ezta?

Study three, the two experimenters, one remote.

Hirugarren ikerketa, bi ikertzaile, kontrol bakarra.

The experimenter that reacted negatively towards pressing the remote

Kontrola sakatzean negatiboki erantzun duen iketzailea

umea begiratzen dago oraintxe bertan.

is watching the child right now.

She feels a little awkward, doesn't know what to do, relying on Mom.

Pixka bat deseroso sentitzen da, ez daki zer egin, amaren beharra du.

And then, she's going to turn around

Eta orain, buelta emango du

so that the experimenter that expressed a positive response is watching.

eta erantzun positiboa eman duen ikertzailea egongo da begiratzen.

Coast is clear -- now she's ready to play.

Ez dago arriskurik. Orain jolasteko prest dago.

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

So, as the data suggests,

Beraz, informazioak adierazten duen bezala,

we found that children's button-pressing behavior

ikusi genuen umeek botoia sakatzeko zuten joeran

was indeed influenced by the values and the instructions of the experimenter.

eragina zutela ikertzaileek adierazitako balio eta aginduek.

Because in study one, children did not know

Lehenengo ikerketan, umeek ez zekietenez

what would be positively or negatively evaluated,

zer ebaluatuko zen positiboki edo negatiboki,

they tended to take the safest route

bide errazena hartzen zuten

and wait until I turned my back to press the remote.

eta itxaron egiten zuten nik buelta eman arte botoia sakatzeko.

Children in study two

Bigarren ikerketako umeek

chose to press the positive remote significantly more when I was watching,

kontrol positiboa gehiagotan sakatzen zuten begiratzen nengoenean,

but then once I turned my back,

baina buelta ematen nuenean,

they immediately took the negative remote and started playing with it.

berehala hartzen zuten kontrol negatiboa eta berarekin jolasten hasten ziren.

Importantly, in a control study,

Adi, beste kontrol ikerketa batean,

where we removed the different values of the remotes --

non kontrolei balioak kendu genizkien --

so we simply said, "Oh, wow" after pressing either of the remotes --

beraz, "Oh, wow" besterik ez genuen esan kontrol bat edo bestea sakatzean --

children's button-pressing behavior no longer differed across conditions,

umeen botoia sakatzeko portaera ezin zen desberdindu baldintzen arabera,

suggesting that it was really the values that we gave the two remotes

hau da, kontrolei emandako balioek gidatzen dute portaera

that drove the behavior in the previous study.

aurreko ikerketan.

Last but not least,

Azkenik,

children in study three chose to press a remote significantly more

hirugarren ikerketako umeek kontrol bat gehiago sakatzen zuten

when the experimenter that expressed a positive value was watching,

balore positiboa adierazi zuen ikertzailea begiratzen zegoenean,

as opposed to the experimenter that had expressed a negative value.

balore negatiboa adierazi zuen ikertzailea begiratzen zegoenean baino.

Not coincidentally,

Ez da kointzidentzia,

it is also around this age that children begin to show embarrassment

urte hauetan umeek lotsa erakusten hastea

in situations that might elicit a negative evaluation,

ebaluazio negatiboa eragingo duten egoeren aurrean,

such as looking at themselves in the mirror

haien burua ispiluan begiratzean sudurrean marka bat

and noticing a mark on their nose.

nabaritzen dutenean bezala.

The equivalent of finding spinach in your teeth, for adults.

Helduentzat hortz artean espinakak aurkitzearen parekoa.

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

So what can we say, based on these findings?

Beraz, zer esan dezakegu aurkikuntza hauetan oinarrituz?

Besides the fact that babies are actually really, really sneaky.

Umeak benetan oso, oso bihurriak direla esateaz gain.

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

From very early on, children, like adults,

Oso goiztik, umeak, helduak bezala,

are sensitive to the values that we place on objects and behaviors.

sentikorrak dira objetuei eta portaerei atxikitzen dizkiegun balioekiko.

And importantly, they use these values to guide their behavior.

Eta, adi, balio horiek erabiltzen dituzte haien portaera gidatzeko,

Whether we're aware of it or not,

Nahiz eta konturatu ez,

we're constantly communicating values to those around us.

momentu oro komunikatzen dizkiegu balioak gure ingurukoei.

Now, I don't mean values like "be kind" or "don't steal,"

Orain, ez nago "ona izan" edo "ez lapurtu" balioetaz hitz egiten,

although those are certainly values.

horiek balioak badira ere.

I mean that we are constantly showing others, specifically our children,

Esan nahi dudana da, etengabe erakusten diegula besteei, eta batez ere umeei,

what is likeable, valuable and praiseworthy, and what is not.

zer den atsegina, baliotsua eta goresgarria, eta zer ez.

And a lot of the times,

Eta gehienetan,

we actually do this without even noticing it.

ohartu gabe egiten dugula.

Psychologists study behavior to explore the contents of the mind,

Psikologoek portaera ikertzen dute adimenaren edukia miatzeko,

because our behavior often reflects our beliefs,

gure portaerek askotan gure sinesmenak, balioak eta nahiak

our values and our desires.

islatzen dituztelako,

Here in Atlanta, we all believe the same thing.

Hemen, Atlantan, guztiok uste dugu gauza bera.

That Coke is better than Pepsi.

Coca-Cola Pepsi baino hobea dela.

(Applause)

(Txaloak)

Now, this might have to do with the fact that Coke was invented in Atlanta.

Orain, honen azalpena izan daiteke Coca-Cola Atlantan asmatu zela.

But regardless,

Hala ere,

this belief is expressed in the fact that most people will chose to drink Coke.

sineste hau azaltzen da gehiengoak Coca-Cola edatea aukeratzen duelako.

In the same way,

Era berean,

we are communicating a value

balio bat komunikatzen ari gara

when we mostly complement girls

gehienetan neskei hitz ederrak esaten dizkiegunean

for their pretty hair or their pretty dress,

haien ile politagatik edo soineko politagatik,

but boys, for their intelligence.

baina mutilei haien adimenagatik.

Or when we chose to offer candy, as opposed to nutritious food,

Edo litxarkeriak eskaintzen ditugunean janari elikagarriaren ordez,

as a reward for good behavior.

ondo portatzeagatik.

Adults and children are incredibly effective

Helduak eta haurrak ikaragarri eraginkorra dira

at picking up values from these subtle behaviors.

balioak antzematen portaera fin hauetan.

And in turn, this ends up shaping their own behavior.

Eta azkenean, horrek haien portaera moldatzen du.

The research I have shared with you today

Gaur zuekin partekatu dudan ikerketak

suggests that this ability emerges very early in development,

adierazten du gaitasun hau haurtzaroko lehenengo urteetan agertzen dela,

esaldi oso bat osatzeko gai izan baino lehen, edo

before we can even utter a complete sentence

or are even potty-trained.

komunera joaten ikasi baino lehen.

And it becomes an integral part of who we grow up to be.

Eta bihurtzen garenaren parte handia bihurtzen da.

So before I go,

Beraz, joan baino lehen,

I'd like to invite you to contemplate on the values

gustatuko litzaidake zuek hausnartzera gonbidatzea

egunero adierazten ditugun balioei buruz

that we broadcast in day-to-day interactions,

eta nola hauek, inguratzen gaituzten pertsonen portaera moldatu ahal duten.

and how these values might be shaping the behavior of those around you.

For example, what value is being broadcasted

Adibidez, ze balio adierazten dugu

when we spend more time smiling at our phone

denbora gehiago ematen dugunean mugikorrari irribarre egiten

than smiling with other people?

beste pertsonei irribarre egiten baino?

Likewise, consider how your own behavior has been shaped by those around you,

Era berean, pentsatu nola zuen ingurukoek moldatu duten zuen portaera,

in ways you might not have considered before.

lehenago pentsatu ez duzuen moduan.

To go back to our simple illustration,

Aurreko irudi sinplera bueltatzen bagara,

do you really prefer Coke over Pepsi?

benetan nahiago duzue Coca-Cola Pepsi baino?

Or was this preference simply driven by what others around you valued?

Edo nahiago duzue bakarrik zuen inguruan daudenek baloratzen dutenagatik?

Parents and teachers certainly have the privilege

Argi dago gurasoek eta irakasleek umeen portaera

to shape children's behavior.

eraldatzeko pribilegioa dutela.

But it is important to remember

Baina garrantzitsua da gogoratzea

that through the values we convey in simple day-to-day interactions,

eguneroko elkarrizketetan adierazten ditugun balioen bidez,

we all have the power to shape the behavior of those around us.

inguratzen gaituzten pertsonen portaera moldatzeko boterea daukagula guztiok.

Thank you.

Eskerrik asko.

(Applause)

(Txaloak)