1. The inferential learning mechanism theory states that children are born with intuitive theories of the world, analogous to scientific theories, which change in ways that are similar to scientific theory change. From the very beginning of their lives, babies are able to revise, change, and rework their initial ideas about life. As they grow, they continually collect data and "overthrow" their previously-held theories.
2. Several changes occur over the first three years of a baby's life. A newborn child can map what it sees in another human's face onto its own face, even though he is far to young to recognize himself in the mirror. Babies at birth also can distinguish human faces and voices from other sights and sounds. He even learns to recognize familiar faces, voices, and smells. One-year-olds have a radically new understanding of people. They start understanding that other people's actions, emotions, and perceptions can be directed at a separate external world. They will look where other people point and know how they should feel about something by seeing how other people feel. Many three-year-olds have good memories but do not understand their own minds or the minds of those around them.
3. The statement "Babies are like little scientists continually overthrowing theories that no longer fit the evidence" assumes that all babies are learning at a rapid pace. While most babies do in fact continually discard theories, autistic children do not develop this way. Autistic children have trouble imitating facial expressions and do not point or follow people pointing in the same way as fully-functioning children. The statement also implies that only babies continually "overthrow theories that no longer fit the evidence" although we continue to change our beliefs into adulthood.
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