fNIRS reveals enhanced brain activation to female (versus male) infant directed speech (relative to adult directed speech) in Young Human Infants

Publication date: August 2018Source: Infant Behavior and Development, Volume 52Author(s): Simone Sulpizio, Hirokazu Doi, Marc H. Bornstein, Joy Cui, Gianluca Esposito, Kazuyuki ShinoharaAbstractWe hypothesized an association between auditory stimulus structure and activity in the brain that underlies infant auditory preference. In a within-infant design, we assessed brain activity to female and male infant directed relative to adult directed speech in 4-month-old infants using fNIRS. Results are compatible with the hypothesis that enhanced frontal brain activation, specifically in prefrontal cortex that is involved in emotion and reward, is evoked selectively by infant directed speech produced by female voices and may serve as a neuronal substrate for attention to and preference for “motherese” displayed by infants.

Source: Infant Behavior and Development - July 11, 2018 Category: Child Development Source Type: research