Human Children Stay Protected for Years So They Can Explore and Learn
Chimps break even by age 7, but humans take until at least 15, and that delay gives children years to explore before adults put the learning to use.
The Brainwaves Video Anthology · Alison Gopnik - The Amazing Minds of Very Young ChildrenBy age 7, a chimp produces as much food as it consumes. A 7-year-old human does not, and humans do not produce as much as they consume until at least age 15.
That long stretch of dependence is "one of the things that really makes us different from other creatures," says Alison Gopnik, a psychologist and philosopher at the University of California, Berkeley.
Gopnik argues that the delay has a purpose. Childhood is a protected period that "gives children a chance to do" wide-ranging exploration and learning. They can spend years watching how the world works, trying things out, and gathering knowledge before they have to use it.
That broad exploration is, in her view, "one of the great secrets of human success." Children build up an understanding of causes and effects, people, and objects.
Adults then use that learning to solve the problems they face.
Questions people ask
Does the human brain also take longer to mature than a chimp brain?
This is background beyond Gopnik's talk, not her claim. Human brains continue to develop into the twenties, especially in areas involved in planning and judgment. That long brain development fits with a long period of learning before full independence.
Do teenagers still count as explorers, or is it only little kids?
This is general background, not Gopnik's claim in this talk. The most open-ended exploration happens in early childhood, but older children and teenagers still explore.