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View Full Version : Could anyone tell where to find *observational* videos of laughing babies



smuchmuch
2021-03-14, 10:49 AM
Hello.

So this is an odd request perhaps but it would help me a lot for a dossier I have to write as part of my current studies in developmental psychology. I turn to this forum because/// well to be honest it's one it's the only forum I have been in in in the last ten years or so even if I haven't posted in a while.
I reassure you, you would be helping me but not doing all the work for me here, so it's not a demand of cheating. I apologize if this is in the wrong forum for it, but this did not quite feel appropriate for mad science and grumpy technology. If it is, please feel free to move it there.

So for a dosier I have to do within my studies, we are supposed to do observation on babies.
Normally that would be done by finding a pre school or parents that are okay with it and would have some kind of arrangement with the university, then an observation in real life. But, as you can imagine, this year and the last have been particular and this can’t really be done. So instead in their great wisdom, our teachers have decided that we should observe on youtube videos.

The problem is... I can't find a suitable video for what I'm trying to observe: is laughter contagious in babies ? And does that change with age ? Now videos of babies and even babies laughing are plenty on the internet but they tend to be very edited, usualy those fairly obnoxious compillations, and not suitable for the methodology.
So if anyone would know where to find footage following the following conditions:

Must be at least two babies together of less than 2 years (more or less) on it.
At least one of them laughs once.
The footage shouldn't be frantically edited, stay on them for more than thirty seconds/ one minute. More would be perfect.

And/or another video, Same conditions, but with toddlers between 2 to 5. (once again *aproximately*)

I'd be incredibly grateful.
Thank you, in advance for your time and attention.

Rydiro
2021-03-15, 01:30 AM
The problem is... I can't find a suitable video for what I'm trying to observe: is laughter contagious in babies ?
From my experience: No. My twins are half a year old.
Its hard to get them to actually laugh and it usually involves adults doing someting funny or tickling.
Smiling, on the other hand is easily contagious.

smuchmuch
2021-03-15, 11:49 AM
From my experience: No. My twins are half a year old.
Its hard to get them to actually laugh and it usually involves adults doing someting funny or tickling.
Smiling, on the other hand is easily contagious.

The litterature (as well as my experience with babies to be honnest) agree on smile, it's called social smiling.
Five mothes is just old enough, babies start maughing around 3-4 monthes so maybe they haven't quite yet develloped it, tho ? And it's well known babys react msotly to 'absurdity' with laughter. The grand calssi would be the peekaboo game, seems to be working almost everytime from the video and texts we've seen.
But hey, it's still worth studying. We sorta expect they'll laugh easier as they age up a little. (also it's a second year paper in less than ideal conditions, I'll be honnest we were grasping a little at straws for a problematic there.).
Thanks nonethelless for your first hand account. :)

Rydiro
2021-03-16, 01:33 AM
You are right, peekaboo is the funniest thing ever right now. Just wanted to give you pointers to look for higher ages. The developmental leaps they do each month are enormous.

On social smiling: They also seem to be happy when they meet again people they know. They often greet adults/each other with a smile.

Eldan
2021-03-16, 04:26 AM
Have you tried more specialized online sources? I can't specifically help you with psychology, but as a biologist, I know half a dozen biology forums where experts in various subdisciplines hang out. (For example, there's a lot of places to get insect photos identified.) I can't help but think that would be more helpful.