Scientists from the University of Amsterdam have made a significant discovery regarding newborn babies and beat perception. The research confirms that newborns can recognize the beat in music.
The findings suggest that the ability to perceive a music beat is an innate cognitive mechanism – distinct from other learning processes – that is active from the very beginning of life.
Clear indications
“There is still a lot we don’t know about how newborn babies perceive, remember and process music,” study’s lead author Professor Henkjan Honing.
“But, in 2009, we found clear indications that babies of just a few days old have the ability to hear a regular pulse in music – the beat – a characteristic that is considered essential for making and appreciating music.”
Focus of the study
To further explore this phenomenon, the researchers conducted an experiment with 27 newborn babies. The goal was to distinguish between the babies’ ability to learn the order of sounds in a drum rhythm (statistical learning) and their capacity to recognize a beat (beat-induction).
This distinction is crucial in understanding how beat perception operates as a separate cognitive mechanism from birth.
How the research was conducted
The method involved presenting two versions of a drum rhythm to the babies via headphones. The first version had an isochronous timing, maintaining equal intervals between sounds, enabling the perception of a pulse or beat.
The second version had the same drum pattern but with random timing (jittered), making beat perception impossible, though the sequence of sounds could still be learned.
Due to the challenges in observing behavioral responses in newborns, the study relied on brain wave measurements (EEG) taken while the babies slept. This approach allowed the researchers to observe the brain responses to the different rhythm versions.
Key insights
The experts found that when the rhythm had regular intervals, the babies’ brain responses indicated they heard the beat. However, when the timing was irregular, the beat was not perceived.
“This crucial difference confirms that being able to hear the beat is innate and not simply the result of learned sound sequences,” said study author István Winkler, a professor at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology at the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences (TTK).
“Our findings suggest that it is a specific skill of newborns and make clear how important baby and nursery rhymes are for the auditory development of young children. More insight into early perception is of great importance for learning more about infant cognition and the role that musical skills may play in early development.”
Fundamental human trait
The research not only adds a new dimension to our understanding of cognitive development in newborns but also highlights the intrinsic connection between humans and music from birth.
“Most people can easily pick up the beat in music and judge whether the music is getting faster or slower – it seems like an inconsequential skill,” said Professor Honing.
“However, since perceiving regularity in music is what allows us to dance and make music together, it is not a trivial phenomenon. In fact, beat perception can be considered a fundamental human trait that must have played a crucial role in the evolution of our capacity for music.”
The study is published in the journal Cognition.
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