Babies can soak up knowledge like sponges even when they dream.
Newborns were found to display a basic form of learning during sleep, according to a Columbia University study, which was published May 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and is the first to show learning during sleep.
Dana Byrd, a UF psychology researcher and co-author of the study, and other researchers studied 1- to 2-day-old babies in New York City to find out how they learn so much from their surroundings while sleeping up to 18 hours per day.
Byrd said the researchers played a tone, followed by a gentle air puff to the babies' eyelids. After about 20 minutes, 24 of the 26 babies squinted when they heard the noise alone, without having the puff of air.
It's possible this research method could help detect children at risk for autism, dyslexia and cerebral palsy, which affects motor control.
"Your baby can and will be learning during sleep," Byrd said.
