Uploaded June 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

---

Before babies learn to talk, it is almost impossible to know what they’re thinking. Ashley Thomas, a cognitive scientist at the McGovern Institute, has begun to unlock the mystery of babies’ brains using a very unusual tool: puppets. By observing how babies respond to puppets in various situations, Ashley shows us that babies understand a surprising amount about the social world around them.