The fifth of twelve episodes in the series on the brain aired on February 23. Charlie and co-host Dr. Eric Kandel welcomed a panel of experts to discuss “The Developing Brain”:

• Elizabeth Spelke, cognitive psychologist at Harvard and director of the laboratory for developmental studies;
• Patricia Kuhl, professor at the University of Washington, director of the Center for Brain and Learning Sciences, author of  The Scientist in the Crib;
• Huda Zoghbi, director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Research Institute at Baylor Medical Center, and a Howard Hughes medical investigator;
• Stephen Warren, professor at Emory University in Atlanta, focusing on the causes of mental retardation.

The episode can be seen online at: http://www.charlierose.com/view/collection/10702

Following clips represent what I found most pertinent. (14:16) Most of the episode dealt with brain development of infants and children, their capacity for learning language, abstract concepts such as counting and numbers, and commending the early work in this field by Jean Piaget.