Two-year-old Henry is completely transfixed by the iPad in front of him. Every time a smiley face appears he taps the screen - and his tap transforms the face into a cartoon of a dancing animal.
It looks like a simple, repetitive game, but is actually a test of a fundamental skill that is developing in the toddler's growing brain. Henry is wearing a sensor-laden cap with wires emerging from it that are attached to a large piece of analytical machinery. While Henry plays the game, the cap is scanning his brain activity and building up a picture of how well he can control his decision making.
It is a test of inhibitory control, one of the skills scientists at the University of Bristol are measuring in babies and toddlers, as part of a mission to understand how and when very young children develop abilities that enable them to focus and learn.
