For most of us, having a baby is the most profound, intense, and fascinating experience of our lives. Now scientists and philosophers are starting to appreciate babies, too. The last decade has witnessed a revolution in our understanding of infants and young children. Scientists used to believe that babies were irrational, and that their thinking and experience were limited. Recently, they have discovered that babies learn more, create more, care more, and experience more than we could ever have imagined. And there is good reason to believe that babies are actually smarter, more thoughtful, and even more conscious than adults. This new science holds answers to some of the deepest and oldest questions about what it means to be human. A new baby's captivated gaze at her mother's face lays the foundations for love and morality. A toddler's unstoppable explorations of his playpen hold the key to scientific discovery. A three-year-old's wild make-believe explains how we can imagine the future, write novels, and invent new technologies. Alison Gopnik - a leading psychologist and philosopher, as well as a mother - explains the groundbreaking new psychological, neuroscientific, and philosophical developments in our understanding of very young children, transforming our understanding of how babies see the world, and in turn promoting a deeper appreciation for the role of parents. Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley, is the author of "The Scientist in the Crib." For most of us, having a baby is the most profound, intense, and fascinating experience of our lives. Now scientists and philosophers are starting to appreciate babies, too. The last decade has witnessed a revolution in our understanding of infants and young children. Scientists used to believe that babies were irrational, and that their thinking and experience were limited. Recently, they have discovered that babies learn more, create more, care more, and experience more than we could ever have imagined. And there is good reason to believe that babies are actually smarter, more thoughtful, and even more conscious than adults. This new science holds answers to some of the deepest and oldest questions about what it means to be human. A new baby's captivated gaze at her mother's face lays the foundations for love and morality. A toddler's unstoppable explorations of his playpen hold the key to scientific discovery. A three-year-old's wild make-believe explains how we can imagine the future, write novels, and invent new technologies. Alison Gopnik--a leading psychologist and philosopher, as well as a mother--explains the groundbreaking new psychological, neuroscientific, and philosophical developments in our understanding of very young children, transforming our understanding of how babies see the world, and in turn promoting a deeper appreciation for the role of parents. " Gopnik's] account of what the science of recent decades has had to say about infants' minds tells a fascinating story of how we become the grown-ups that we are." --"The New York Times "

儿童学习和发展研究的领导者，首位从儿童意识的角度深刻剖析哲学问题的心理学家。

牛津大学心理学博士，加州大学伯克利分校心理学系教授及哲学系客座教授，曾荣获加州理工学院摩尔杰出学者奖学金。

心理理论创始人之一，第一位受邀在美国心理学会开设讲座的儿童心理学家。曾在美国科学促进会、美国心理协会、美国哲学学会及诸多儿童福利机构发表儿童心理理论的演讲。

代表作《摇篮里的科学家》（The Scientist in the Crib）以及《宝宝也是哲学家》广受好评，其中《宝宝也是哲学家》被迪士尼旗下BABBLE网站誉为“50本最佳育儿书籍”之一，她的文章和评论散见于《纽约时报》、《卫报》、《科学人》等各大媒体。