The Secret Life of Babies

Although 30 years ago scientists believed that the fetus in the womb was incapable of hearing, today they know that all five senses are working by the seventh month, and some argue that babies can remember and learn from prenatal experiences. Filmed in France, Canada, and the United States, director Bernard George's enlightening two-part documentary (the first part covers intrauterine life, while the second looks at the initial months following birth) combines commentary from leading cognitive and developmental psychologists with remarkable intrauterine footage detailing how babies respond to specific experiments. In one fascinating series of tests, two babies—one exposed to rock music in the womb, the other to her mother's harp-playing—were found to have a direct correlation in heart-rate patterns to the music they heard in utero, and a similarly adverse reaction to the other's music. Other experiments illustrate how babies organize their perceptions and suggest ways in which these perceptions might relate to fundamental aspects of memory, language, and learning. A thought-provoking, frequently illuminating analysis of a cutting-edge topic of both academic and general interest, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)