Abstract
This article, addressed to clinicians caring for and interacting with newborns, summarizes information from the research literature about newborn infants' hearing and behavioral responses to sound. While the emphasis is on current knowledge, older studies show how the investigators' assumptions have influenced the questions they have asked. Although these studies do not make up a neat package of information for clinicians, they do reveal broad outlines of newborn hearing abilities and the affects of sound on sleeping, quieting from crying, habituating, and paying attention. The newborn's responses to and preferences for particular sounds such as speech, music, and heartbeats are reviewed. These studies present the term newborn as an active listener and learner who, despite a somewhat immature auditory system and a limited repertoire of behavioral responses, is highly discriminating regarding the sounds of speech and whose efforts at sleeping, quieting, and paying attention may be hindered by noise such as that commonly found in hospital nurseries.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Philbin RN PhD, M., Klaas PhD, P. Hearing and Behavioral Responses to Sound in Full-Term Newborns. J Perinatol 20 (Suppl 1), S68–S76 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7200441
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7200441
This article is cited by
-
Sound Interferes with the Early Tactile Manual Abilities of Preterm Infants
Scientific Reports (2016)
-
Effects of standardized acoustic stimulation in premature infants: a randomized controlled trial
Journal of Perinatology (2016)
-
The impact of single family room design on patients and caregivers: executive summary
Journal of Perinatology (2006)
-
Changing Levels of Quiet in an Intensive Care Nursery
Journal of Perinatology (2002)