In a paper recently published in Science, psychologists Aimee E. Stahl and Lisa Feigenson from the Johns Hopkins University found that surprises help engage babies to learn new information more effectively.
New study shows that surprises help babies learn faster.
The study involved 4 experiments showing 11-month old babies events that did not behave the way they expected them to. In one experiment, babies were shown a ball rolling down a hill and stopping when it hit a wall, compared to a ball rolling down a hill and traveling through the wall, as if by magic (1).
Babies that were shown the unexpected situation were found to learn new information better. In fact, babies showed no evidence of learning about the predicted ball. The researchers also found that the babies showed more interest in exploring the ball that traveled through the wall (1).
“Babies are always taking things in, learning, and observing the world,” says Aimee Staul. “Once they saw something that surprised them, their engagement with the object peaked and their learning behavior improved significantly. But we’re not overturning their knowledge by showing them unexpected events” (2).
Stahl explains that babies build on their knowledge with information that they already know about the world. However, if they are shown something unexpected, such as the ball traveling through the wall, the babies are more likely to be engaged by the surprising behavior of the ball (2).
Stahl and Feigenson expect that adults learn in a similar fashion, but more research is needed to explore the effect of unexpected events on adult learning (1).
Sources:
(1) Stahl, Aimee E., and Lisa Feigenson. “Observing the Unexpected Enhances Infants’ Learning and Exploration.” Science 348 (n.d.): 91-94. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
(2) Olson, Samanth. “Like Scientists, Babies Learn From Unexpected Findings.” Medical Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2015.