Cited by 526Neuroscience and Music PerceptionPhonetics and Phonology ResearchLanguage Development and Disorders

Effects of experience on fetal voice recognition

Kisilevsky, Barbara S., Hains, Sylvia M.J., Lee, Kang, Xie, Xing, Huang, Hefeng, Ye, Hai Hui, Zhang, Ke, Wang, Zengping·2003·Psychological Science

Abstract

The ability of human fetuses to recognize their own mother's voice was examined. Sixty term fetuses were assigned to one of two conditions during which they were exposed to a tape recording of their mother or a female stranger reading a passage. Voice stimuli were delivered through a loudspeaker held approximately 10 cm above the maternal abdomen and played at an average of 95 dB SPL. Each condition consisted of three 2-min periods: no stimulus, voice (mother or stranger), and no stimulus. Fetal heart rate increased in response to the mother's voice and decreased in response to the stranger's; both responses were sustained for 4 min. The finding of differential behavior in response to a familiar versus a novel voice provides evidence that experience influences fetal voice processing. It supports an epigenetic model of speech perception, presuming an interaction between genetic expression of neural development and species-specific experience.

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Crossref · 10.1111/1467-9280.02435

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Authors
Kisilevsky, B. S., Hains, S. M. J., Lee, K., Xie, X., Huang, H., Ye, H. H., Zhang, K., & Wang, Z.
Affiliations
  • Queen's University (CA)
  • Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University (CN)
Corresponding author
Kisilevsky, Barbara S.
Venue
Psychological Science
Published
2003-05
Volume
14
Issue
3
Pages
220-224
ISSN
  • 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-9280
OpenAlex
W2136754809
Cited by
526
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 79 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 22
FWCI
3.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Phonetics and Phonology Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
Keywords
fetal heart rate, maternal voice, speech perception, epigenetic model, prenatal experience, term fetus
MeSH terms
Arousal, Attention, Female, Fetal Movement, Fetus, Heart Rate, Fetal, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Mothers, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Trimester, Third, Speech Perception, Voice

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