Learning and development in infancy: toward an integrated approach

Abstract

The foundations of learning are laid in infancy. Using examples from pioneer and recent studies, we describe three mechanisms essential to infants' knowledge acquisition: associative, statistical, and social learning. We argue that a comprehensive understanding of infants' learning is limited by the traditional focus on mechanisms in isolation. We showcase two integrative approaches that begin to clarify how distinct mechanisms work together to provide a comprehensive, parsimonious, description of infants' learning. We raise considerations for moving toward a complete, culturally nuanced, modern understanding of how infants across the globe acquire the knowledge foundations for optimal development.