Why do we have such a long childhood? What’s in it for us as a species? According to Alison Gopnik, PhD, the answer is that kids are the "R&D division of humanity." Gopnik discusses her research and its implications for how we think about the purpose of childhood, how we raise and educate our children, the role of grandparents in teaching the next generation, and even how we might develop artificial intelligence inspired by children’s learning abilities.