"What's Going on in There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life" is titled accurately in that it discusses in much detail the processes that are going on in the brain through a child's 5th year. The book is organized in 17 chapters covering topics from how the visual system develops to how intelligence and memory is processed in the younger ages. What is great about this book is that statements are fully backed up by previous research which makes the book a reliable source for those wanting to learn how to raise a child. But it is also useful for those merely interested in the development of the brain. Overall, "What's Going on in There?" provides a great depth of knowledge; however the details sometimes detract from those simply wanting advice on how to rear a child.
Critique/How to Read the Book
Because of the dense material covered in Eliot's book , it is difficult to turn to a page you want to learn about at random. Also, the lay out of the book being that it is organized into chapters on topics rather than in chapters by chronological age makes it challenging to turn to the sections for a 3 year old if let's say you just bought the book when your child was 3-4 years old. To overcome these, I suggest that if you are reading this book as a resourceful guide on what to expect and how to raise your infant, it is best to read this ahead of time and highlight the parts you think are important. In this way, you can easily refer back to the sections you thought were helpful. Additionally, it is important to note that the chapters are mostly organized in chronological order from the fetus stage, early infant, then on to its toddler and pre-school years. Therefore, you can skim through the end of a chapter in an area of interest if you already have a child who is in his/her toddler years.
First Few Chapters
The first few chapters focus on the basics of the brain in an evolutionary and anatomical sense. It discusses the egg's fertilization, passage through the fallopian tube, and implantation in the uterus, as well as briefly discusses the cellular growth in the cerebral cortex, "increasingly spiky or complex" EEGs, and of course the argument of nature versus nurture.
Prenatal Influences
An entire 55 pages are devoted to explaining the "Prenatal Influences on the Brain." A section of this discusses how the nicotine and carbon monoxide found in cigarettes adversely affects the fetus. They "decrease the amount of oxygen available to the fetus, and less oxygen means slower growth of all bodily organs." The effects of maternal stress are fully explained by first providing in depth information on the how the fight-or-flight response works. There is even a table at the end of the chapter summarizing the prenatal factors (toxins, radiation, other chemicals, etc.) that are harmful, non-conclusive, and recommendations for how to avoid the harmful factors.
Importance of Being Held
One of the most well explained and interesting parts of the book are the chapters, "The Importance of Touch" and "Why Babies Love to Be Bounced." Eliot describes how the vestibular system develops from a fetus to an infant using plenty of pictures and diagrams first, which then helps her describe specific studies on how cuddling and holding a baby lead to a behavior that is less irritable as children. There are many benefits to vestibular stimulation at a young age including "newborns cry less when they are being rocked, carried, jiggled, or suddenly changed in position, all actions that activate the vestibular system;" overall behavioral state in "decreasing the baby's level of arousal;" and pre-term babies being "less irritable, move less jerkily, and sleep more."
Senses
Even if you are only interested in how the visual, gustatory, vestibular, and auditory systems work in humans, you will receive an abundant amount of information regarding these systems because the chapters first discuss the basics of how each develops, works together, and the components involved in each. Eliot does an excellent job in describing the beauty of each part while providing useful information on topics such as how hearing improves (in terms of frequency sensitivity, sound localization, threshold and the ability to discriminate sounds in a noisy background), obligatory looking (where babies fixate on an object for minutes at a time), binocularity and depth perception, and the function of prenatal taste ability.
Debunking Myths
What makes this book even more interesting is that it covers many of the myths or statements you hear people making regularly. Eliot explains how being exposed to a variety of tastes at a young age influences later preferences making the adults more likely to try and also like non-novel foods. She shows that acquired taste has a large role in this process rather than genes. "What's Going on in There?" also explains how infant walkers don't really help infants walk mainly because of its limiting effect on an infant's ability to explore the world on its own, stimulating various parts of his/her brain. She states, "They can explore and satisfy their curiosity without developing their balance or locomotor skills, so these abilities come more slowly."
Smarter Child?
The last few chapters provide the most information in terms of practical use that parents can utilize to encourage a better lifestyle, memory, and social emotional growth. Even though Eliot describes countless ways of improving these based on previous research conducted, she states an important view to keep in mind. "It is the model we set, rather than the specific teaching we attempt, that is going to have the biggest impact on a child's cognitive abilities and success in life."
Conclusion
In conclusion "What's Going in There?" by Lise Eliot, provides wonderful explanations as to how the brain develops from a fetus through age 5. It provides a myriad of useful information and debunks I would greatly recommend this book to one simply wanting to learn more about the details of how the brain is formed and how much plasticity there is at an early age. I would also recommend this great book to mothers-to-be or one who already have an infant to use as a resource to refer to. It is detailed enough to not only know what is going on in the brain, but also understand the processes taking place! What you do with these facts from diagrams or previous studies is up to you though since Eliot focuses more on the actual material rather than how to implement this knowledge into practical use- which may be a challenge if you do not have a very good science background but can be great for those who already know some in this area to form your own ideas.
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Paid for New, Got used
I ordered this as a gift. Needs to be new. Got an old copy and I don’t have time to return and get a new one before baby shower. Embarrassing and annoying.
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2012
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- MayaReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2020
Useful, in depth, yet enjoyable
