The DOI matches its Crossref record; 288 of the 289 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The signal functions of early infant crying
Abstract
In this article I evaluate recent attempts to illuminate the human infant cry from an evolutionary perspective. Infants are born into an uncertain parenting environment, which can range from indulgent care of offspring to infanticide. Infant cries are in large part adaptations that maintain proximity to and elicit care from caregivers. Although there is not strong evidence for acoustically distinct cry types, infant cries may function as a graded signal. During pain-induced autonomic nervous system arousal, for example, neural input to the vocal cords increases cry pitch. Caregivers may use this acoustic information, together with other cues, to guide caregiving behavior. Serious pathology, on the other hand, results in chronically and severely abnormal cry acoustics. Such abnormal crying may be a proximate cause of adaptive infant maltreatment, in circumstances in which parents cut their losses and reduce or withdraw investment from infants with low survival chances. An increase in the amount of crying during the first few months of life is a human universal, and excessive crying, or colic, represents the upper end of this normal increase. Potential signal functions of excessive crying include manipulation of parents to acquire additional resources, honest signaling of need, and honest signaling of vigor. Current evidence does not strongly support any one of these hypotheses, but the evidence is most consistent with the hypothesis that excessive early infant crying is a signal of vigor that evolved to reduce the risk of a reduction or withdrawal of parental care.
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“Such a shift thus stimulated the development of infant cry on the one hand (Soltis, 2004), and on parental vocal response to it on the other hand, as ‘disembodied extensions of mothers’ cradling arms’ (Falk, 2004b, p. 462).”
From Back to basics: A re-evaluation of the relevance of imprinting in the genesis of Bowlby’s attachment theory (2022) · cites this paper as Soltis, 2004
Citations
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Swain, J. E., Lorberbaum, J. P., Kose, S., & Strathearn, L. (2007) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01731.x · Cited by 499
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Falk, D. (2004) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x04000111 · Cited by 284
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Metadata
- Authors
- Soltis, J.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Soltis, Joseph
- Venue
- Behavioral and Brain Sciences
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2004-08
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 443-458
- ISSN
- 0140-525X (ISSN-L)
- 1469-1825
- OpenAlex
- W2121877182
- Cited by
- 387
- References
- 289
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 26.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavioral and Brain Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Health and Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Keywords
- infant crying, evolutionary psychology, honest signaling, parental care, infantile colic, infant maltreatment, caregiver behavior
- MeSH terms
- Acoustics, Adaptation, Physiological, Adult, Colic, Crying, Biological Evolution, Female, Health Status, Humans, Hunger, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Parent-Child Relations, Infant Behavior
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