Babies on the Brink

Since the 1960s, developmental psychologists point to the "Visual Cliff"—an experiment that plops babies on a fake precipice—as proof that infants learn to fear heights as they learn to crawl. Yet, over the past 25 years, a series of rigorous (and adorable) experiments by Karen Adolph of NYU's Infant Action Lab has shattered this myth, revealing that while babies can learn from experiences near high ledges or narrow bridges, it's not a phobia they acquire. Produced by Luke Groskin Starring Derek Hough, Tessa Rose Confessore, and Clarabelle Kaufman Music by Audio Network Footage Stills and Additional Footage provided by Karen Adolph and the NYU Infant Action Lab, Eleanor Gibson and R.D. Walk KTCA Twin Cities Public Television Ira Flatow Glacier National Park (C.C. 3.0)