[grannyg00se]

To say she thinks the magazine is a broken iPad is quite a leap. There is nothing to indicate that she thinks it is an iPad. And there is nothing to indicate that she thinks it is "broken".

She is simply trying familiar gestures on a similar looking media.

Give her magazines for the next couple of days and you may find she tries to turn the iPad over looking for other pages. It's not because she thinks the iPad is a broken magazine. It's simple familiarity. First we try what we know. Failing that, we begin to experiment.

[horatioplink]

Here's a great TED talk discussing how babies this age go about learning how to deal with the world. Essentially there's a lot of experimentation as other folks have commented on but there's a part towards the end about how they seem to use a super sophisticated statistical model of the world to figure out the odds of things working. http://www.ted.com/talks/alison_gopnik_what_do_babies_think....

[ArcticCelt]

Exactly. The only thing that this video proves is that she has the right reaction by analyzing and experimenting with different objects. That's how we learn.

[tptacek]

The best part of this was when she tested to see if her finger was still working. This kid is awesome.

[lotharbot]

My son (not quite 2) engages in all these same behaviors. He pokes things, points at things, touches things, checks to make sure his finger is still attached, pokes things some more... and he's been doing it since long before he was allowed to touch the tablet computer.

Sometimes when he touches, say, pictures in a newspaper or magazine, he's just trying to get daddy's input (same as when he touches something in a board book.) He touches a picture, and I'll say "it's a blue car!" or "what a furry kitty!" You might mistake it for "thinking the newspaper is a broken tablet", but not for long.

[wnight]

We're all born scientists. Then religion and TV happen.

[epochwolf]

Don't forget school!

[starwed]

Real scientists learn on the street.

Or more seriously, please take that attitude outside and burn it... :(

[icebraining]

http://i.imgur.com/vexgz.gif

[wnight]

I must have seen that before because I've tried to read everything C&H, but I don't remember it. Thanks.

[sabret00the]

I like that a lot. I think TV is like fiction in book form, it has it's benefits and it's evils but nonetheless, I really like that.

[darnton]

I wouldn't even read that much into it. Infants learn a whole range of new gestures as they get finer motor control.

Newborns flail around not even knowing they've got arms. Then they learn to guide their arms and hit things. Then they grab. After a while they develop a sort of lobster pinch with the thumb against four fingers and can pick things up. Then they develop the thumb and forefinger pinch and can gently manipulate small things.

I'm pretty sure my nine-month old son would behave just like this, even though he's never seen an iPad. In his technologically-deprived state he contents himself with examining crumbs and bits of fluff from the carpet.

[chopsueyar]

When I was her age, I knew that grilled cheese sandwiches worked in VHS players.

[serge2k]

When I was a little older I learned that remotes belong in microwaves.

My parents learned that VCR remotes where expensive in the early 90s.

[nooneelse]

Thus proving toaster ovens are the future of video media... or something like that.

[ugh]

I don’t quite understand what your issue is. The language in the video doesn’t seem at odd with your statements.

[phzbOx]

It was supposed to be seen as a joke to show how the new generation kids will really look at magazines as "broken touch screen".

<quote>And there is nothing to indicate that she thinks it is "broken".</quote> ..