Markers of consciousness in infants: Towards a 'cluster-based' approach.

Consciousness in infants is likely present by 5 months of age or earlier, based on a cluster of behavioral and neural markers validated in adults that can be translated to infancy. Historically, infants were operated on without anesthesia, but attitudes shifted in the 1990s toward taking consciousness seriously. Since infants cannot report experiences, no single marker suffices, so a consensus across multiple markers pointing to the same developmental period provides a convincing argument. This cluster-based approach reviews the most promising markers for early consciousness.

Study at a glance

Abstract

As recently as the 1980s, it was not uncommon for paediatric surgeons to operate on infants without anaesthesia. Today, the same omission would be considered criminal malpractice, and there is an increased concern with the possibility of consciousness in the earliest stage of human infancy. This concern reflects a more general trend that has characterised science since the early 1990s of taking consciousness seriously. While this attitude shift has opened minds towards the possibility that our earliest experiences predate our first memories, convincing demonstrations of infant consciousness remain challenging given that infants cannot report on their experiences. Furthermore, while many behavioural and neural markers of consciousness that do not rely on language have been validated in adults, no one specific marker can be confidently translated to infancy. For this reason, we have proposed the 'cluster-based' approach, in which a consensus of evidence across many markers, all pointing towards the same developmental period, could be used to argue convincingly for the presence of consciousness. CONCLUSION: We review the most promising markers for early consciousness, arguing that consciousness is likely to be in place by 5 months of age if not earlier.