ABSTRACT
Although scientific interest in the prenatal development of behavior has to some extent languished since its formative beginning early in this century (see Anokhin, 1964; Carmichael, 1933; Coghill, 1929; Gottlieb, 1973a; Hamburger, 1963; Herrick & Coghill, 1915; Hooker, 1952; Kuo, 1976; Oppenheim, 1982; Preyer, 1885; Windle, 1944), the last decade has seen a resurgence of interest in the role of prenatal experience on subsequent postnatal behavior (DeCasper & Spence, 1986; Fifer, 1987; Gottlieb, 1985, 1988; Gottlieb, Tomlinson, & Radell, 1989; Hepper, 1988; Lickliter, in press; Lickliter & Stoumbos, 1992; Radell & Gottlieb, 1992; Smotherman & Robinson, 1985, 1987, 1992). In a general sense, these studies of avian and mammalian neonates have all served to demonstrate the important role of prenatal sensory experience in the development of postnatal perceptual preferences. In particular, these studies have made clear that normally occurring embryonic sensory stimulation can play an active role in the constmction of species-specific perceptual preferences evident after birth or hatching.
