Similar things actually work on babies. That is, if you respond immediately when a baby starts crying it will learn to cry when it needs attention. If you let i

Similar things actually work on babies. That is, if you respond immediately when a baby starts crying it will learn to cry when it needs attention. If you let it cry for a bit, the baby will learn not to do that. (This is actually not as unethical as I'm making it sound. Basically it has to do with attachment styles and teaching the kid not to be clingy. Generally you do things like this if the baby is waking up and crying at night. Of course, I'm not a parent, so this is just based on what I've read.)