The Scientist in the Crib: Minds, Brains & How Children Learn

Presented on March 8, 2002

Patricia K. Kuhl, Ph.D., co-director, Center for Mind, Brain & Learning, University of Washington

"When Dr. Patricia Kuhl was a graduate student, scientists only had access to the secrets of the brain when it was sliced and viewed under a microscope. Now, it is commonplace to see magazine or newspaper articles picturing a brain lit up while its owner thinks, looks at a picture, or listens to music. If you're reading this, Dr. Kuhl and her colleagues know which areas of your brain are activated. Such new techniques are revealing, in a tangible way, how the brain really works.
It is an extraordinary time for neuroscience research, and a scientific information explosion is taking place in the area of early learning and brain development. Brain researchers are studying the science of learning, and it is changing how we view a child's mind—and a child's education. Business and industry have also taken notice of the new information about early brain development. They know that children’s learning will be influenced by technology and by the products they provide.
Join us this week on a journey into the infant’s brain, as nationally renowned neuroscientist Dr. Patricia Kuhl guides us through the mind in the crib."