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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Tuning in to musical rhythms: infants learn more readily than adults
Erin E Hannon1, Sandra E Trehub
1Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. ehannon@fas.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Domain-general tuning processes may guide the acquisition of perceptual knowledge in infancy. Here, we demonstrate that 12-month-old infants show an adult-like, culture-specific pattern of responding to musical rhythms, in contrast to the culture-general responding that is evident at 6 months of age. Nevertheless, brief exposure to foreign music enables 12-month-olds, but not adults, to perceive rhythmic distinctions in foreign musical contexts. These findings may indicate a sensitive period early in life for acquiring rhythm in particular or socially and biologically important structures more generally.
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