THIS ISSUE AND WHY IT MATTERS

F
®
or decades, students of early childhood development
learned about the egocentric nature of the young mind.
Theories of early cognitive development characterized
young children as incapable of taking another’s perspective and Fou n ded i n 1980
unable to separate their own beliefs, thoughts, and ideas from
Sally Provence, Editor 1980 –1985
others. Over the past 10 years, however, researchers have gained Jeree Pawl, Editor 1985–1992
remarkable insight into how and what infants can understand Emily Fenichel, Editor 1992–2006
about the minds of others. The result is a revolutionary new 
understanding of early social cognition. Editor
Stefanie Powers
Ross Thompson, guest editor for this issue and a ZERO TO
Director of Production
THREE Board member, describes young infants as “begin- Jennifer Moon Li
ning psychologists” who enter this Production Editor
Researchers have gained world as attentive observers, ready Anne Brophy
remarkable insight into to absorb information and to be Chief Development and
how and what infants can active participants in seeking to Communications Officer
Michelle Martineau Green
understand about the understand the social world. With
minds of others. remarkable speed and increasing 
Design Consultant
sophistication, many of the essen- Heroun + Co.
tial foundations of social and emotional understanding are estab- Production
lished by the child’s second birthday. Black Dot Group
Leading researchers from the fields of developmental and 
social psychology contributed to this issue of Zero to Three. They Zero to Three Journal Advisory Board
RICHARD COHEN ANN PLESHETTE MURPHY
describe elegant experimental designs that demonstrate how, HIRAM FITZGERALD BRAIN A. NAPACK
far from being egocentric, infants and toddlers have a surpris- ROSS THOMPSON
ing awareness of the emotions, interests, intentions, and goals 
of others. From the first moments of life, infants show a prefer- Executive Director
Matthew E. Melmed
ence for human faces and voices, and can even imitate adult facial
expressions. These first signs of social interaction—mutual eye
ZERO TO THREE Board of Directors
contact, attending and responding, exchanging vocalizations—
mark the emergence of “emotion sharing” which is central to how RICHARD ATLAS BRIAN A. NAPACK
KATHRYN E. BARNARD DOLORES G. NORTON
infants experience the quality of their relationships with others. T. BERRY BRAZELTON JOY D. OSOFSKY
And it is clear that the quality of the relationships between chil- MARIA D. CHAVEZ JEREE H. PAWL
HELEN EGGER CHERYL POLK
dren and the significant adults in their lives has a tremendous ROBERT N. EMDE REBECCA SHAHMOON SHANOK
impact on how development unfolds. LINDA GILKERSON JACK P. SHONKOFF
SHEILA B. KAMERMAN LYNN G. STRAUS
A new understanding of how much infants are taking in and J. RONALD LALLY ROSS THOMPSON
processing about others raises compelling questions about how BERNARD LEVY BERNICE WEISSBOURD
adults influence children’s psychological development. If par- ALICIA F. LIEBERMAN SERENA WIEDER
SAMUEL J. MEISELS HARRY H. WRIGHT
ents and professionals can better understand the many ways very HARRIET MEYER HIROKAZU YOSHIKAWA
young children strive to engage and understand others, they are ANN PLESHETTE MURPHY BARRY ZUCKERMAN

better equipped to respond in ways that nurture and support

Directors Emeriti
their emerging skills.
STANLEY I. GREENSPAN ARNOLD J. SAMEROFF
I hope you find this issue of Zero to Three to be an exciting MARILYN M. SEGAL EDWARD ZIGLER
journey into the minds of infants and toddlers as they learn to KYLE D. PRUETT

navigate the complex world of human interaction. Founding Members

Stefanie Powers, Editor
spowers@zerotothree.org
T. BERRY BRAZELTON
SELMA FRAIBERG
STANLEY I. GREENSPAN
J. RONALD LALLY
BERNARD LEVY
REGINALD S. LOURIE
PETER B. NEUBAUER
ROBERT A. NOVER
SALLY PROVENCE
JULIUS B. RICHMOND
ALBERT J. SOLNIT
LEON J. YARROW
 Contents May 2008 Volume 28 No.5

The Developing Mind

5 THE PSYCHOLOGIST IN THE BABY Ro s s A . T hom p s on

13 THE BIRTH OF SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE A n n et t e M . E .

H e n de r s on , S a r a h G e r s on , a n d A m a n d a L . Wo o dwa r d

21 BABY STEPS ON THE ROAD TO SOCIETY: Shared

Intentionality in the Second Year of Life M i r a n da G o odm a n a n d
M ic h a e l Tom a s e l lo

26 HOW INFANTS COME TO LEARN ABOUT THE

MINDS OF OTHERS G a b r i e l a M a r kova a n d
M a r i a L e g e r st e e

32 THE EMOTIONAL FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL

UNDERSTANDING H e at h e r K . Wa r r e n , S u s a n n e A . D e n h a m ,
a n d H i de ko H . B a s s et t

A dditiona l f e at u r e
40 CORE CONCEPTS IN INFANT–PARENT PSYCHOTHERAPY
M a r i a n Bi rc h

Depa rt m ents
2 This Issue and Why It Matters—St e fa n i e Pow e r s

44 Frequently Asked Questions—B r a i n d e v e lo pm e n t

46 Ask the Expert—Ro s s A . T hom p s on

47 Jargon Buster—A G lo s s a ry o f S e l e ct e d T e r ms

Cover photo: ©iStockphoto.com/Daniel Rodriguez

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