INFANT LEARNINGInfant learning and brain development are fragile and depend on many intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The most critical period for infant brain development is from the second trimester to the first three months of life (Marshall, 2011). During this time, neural pathways are formed, areas of the brain mature, and brain development occurs rapidly. From infancy until age 3, neural pathways are still forming in response to stimulation and for this reason it is extremely important that caregivers and parents are aware of the many factors that can influence development brain of infants (Marshall, 2011). ).Folk PsychologyCommon beliefs about infant learning tend to focus on the issue of breastfeeding versus bottle feeding. The vast majority of speculation in the media centers on this controversy. For example, a “study published in the journal Pediatric Health found that premature infants fed formula enriched with protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper and several micronutrients performed better on IQ tests than premature infants. fed either regular formula or breast milk” (Miller, 2008). This may well be true, but popular psychology generally denies the large number of other factors crucial to infant learning. Research There is currently a wealth of research on the topic of infant learning that covers a wide range of topics. Among the most prevalent are sleep patterns, environmental factors, social development, cognitive memory, language learning, and association. Sleep HabitsNewborns sleep an average of 16 to 18 hours per day (So, Adamson, & Horne, 2007). Due to the speed at which infants are able to retain information on this topic, it is difficult to focus narrowly on a single factor and obtain the necessary information. The biggest problems with the studies reviewed are the small sample sizes, lack of information regarding the demographics of the test subjects, and the broad subject matter of the experiments. ConclusionChildhood is a special period of growth, learning and awareness. At no other time in human life is the brain so alert to stimuli and neural pathways at such a rapid rate. While folk psychology focuses narrowly on the common question of how best to nurture the child, current research covers everything from cognitive development related to cultural awareness to nap habits and memory function. Although there is a lot of research on this topic, there is still much to discover about how the brain develops in this fragile new life state of early childhood...