The purposes of this study are (1) to analyze learning ability in newborns using heart rate responses to auditory temporal conditioning and (2) to correlate these with measures on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. Twenty normal neonates were tested using the Brazelton Scale on the third day of life. They were also given a learning task, which consisted of a temporal conditioning paradigm with a slow-rise, 75 db tone played for 5 seconds every 25 seconds, 10 times. Responses to the tones were measured by instantaneous, beat-to-beat heart rate, and learning was measured by mean heart rate change and slope computed on the period following the last stimulus when a tone would have been expected (response to the test trial). Results indicate that the 3-day-old baby whose heart rate indicates response to a temporal learning situation is older in gestational age than babies who do not indicate response, and is able to control his psychological state, but shows signs of neurological immaturity. He tends to be less responsive in situations of human closeness including orienting, alertness and cuddliness as measured by the Brazelton Scale. (Author/SB)