Skip to main content
Log in

Human neonates learn to recognize speech sounds on the first day of life

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

From Nature Human Behaviour

View current issue Submit your manuscript
  • 96 Altmetric

Human neonates discriminate vowel sounds played forward, as in normal speech, from their waveform reversal after five hours of exposure on the first day of their life. The neural dynamics supporting this rapid perceptual learning indicate a primitive brain mechanism similar to the language-processing network of adults.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1: [HbO] mean amplitude results.

References

  1. Cheour, M. et al. Speech sounds learned by sleeping newborns. Nature 415, 599–600 (2002). This paper reports one of the earliest demonstrations of speech-sound acquisition in neonates.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Peña, M. et al. Sounds and silence: an optical topography study of language recognition at birth. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100, 11702–11705 (2003). This paper exemplifies how fNIRS can be safely and effectively used to examine neural activities in neonates.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bruderer, A. G. et al. Sensorimotor influences on speech perception in infancy. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 112, 13531–13536 (2015). This paper shows how the sensorimotor network contributes to speech perception in infancy.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kuhl, P. K. Infant speech perception: integration of multimodal data leads to a new hypothesis-sensorimotor mechanisms underlie learning. In Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology: Human Communication: Origins, Mechanism, and Functions (eds. Sera, M. D. & Koenig, M.) Ch. 5 (Wiley Online Library, 2021). In this book chapter, Kuhl proposes an experience-based sensorimotor learning mechanism supporting the initial acquisition of speech sounds, and to a large extent this work inspired the present study.

  5. Werker, J. F. et al. How do infants become experts at native-speech perception? Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci. 21, 221–226 (2012). This article provides a review of the mechanisms of phonemic learning.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Wu, Y. J. et al. Rapid learning of a phonemic discrimination in the first hours of life. Nat. Hum. Behav. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01355-1 (2022).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Human neonates learn to recognize speech sounds on the first day of life. Nat Hum Behav 6, 1040–1041 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01368-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01368-w

  • Springer Nature Limited

Navigation