ABSTRACT
The study of early sensory stimulation and its role in shaping the sensory, perceptual, and learning capabilities of the infant brain has focused predominantly on the effects of postnatal experience. However, results from animal research, progress in the field of newborn perception, and the development of human fetal monitoring techniques have allowed us to more closely examine the short- and long-term effects of fetal experience. This chapter deals with a small piece of the puzzle concerning the role of environmental events in the sensory and perceptual development of the perinate. Specifically, what are the immediate and enduring effects of fetal experience with sound, and how does fetal experience with sounds affect the developing brain?
