Can a human being walk without being taught how?

Question

I was wondering if a baby was never helped to learn to walk would they eventually just learn themselves? I know this sounds weird...

I understand that some animals are born and can walk within a few hours as they need to for survival. But why are human babies so incapable of anything when they are born?

Answer 1

Babies are really advanced embryos. Without several years of care, they can't survive.

The reason is anatomical. The female pelvis opening can't be any larger or women would find it almost impossible to walk. Humans, however have large brains and heads for their body size. That's why the skull bones of babies aren't fused. Once born, the baby needs continual support. As most babies walk unassisted between 12 and 15 months, they've already had lots of support and training.

Babies imitate so watching adults walk would cause them to do so also. They also learn to crawl and roll over on their own so pulling up and using the legs would be a logical continuation.

Answer 2

Babies almost always do learn to walk without being taught how. When someone holds a baby up so it can "walk," that's not teaching the baby to walk. It's just supporting and balancing the baby; the baby then instinctively moves its legs the right way.

Babies learn to walk by first pulling themselves up to a standing position while holding on to something (a piece of furniture, Daddy's legs, etc.). That isn't taught. Then the baby walks while holding on to the furniture until it can walk on its own. Just like "learning" to flip itself over and to crawl, the baby does this on its own.

Babies are pretty helpless when they're born because their brains haven't fully grown yet. If they did, the baby's head would be too big to fit through the mother. (I know, baby horses are much bigger and they fit, but that's what they say.)

But that's not all of it. Human brains take many more years to mature because our brains are more complex, capable of more abilities than, say, horses. The traditional school of thought is that animals use instinctual knowledge more, whereas we think things out more. I dunno - I have never understood why a 2-year-old dog has better judgment than a 2-year-old child.

Answer 3

maybe but its best to help them....they see others doing it too..

Answer 4

We learned somewhere along the evolutionary line.