Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Language Development

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...

Hearing

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

Auditory Pathway

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...

The Cochlea

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.

Auditory Perception

Auditory Perception

The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the cochlea, a...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The evolution and development of infant social relationship reasoning: a Tinbergenian analysis.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same author

Predicting Positive Affect in Infancy.

Developmental science·2026

Same author

Grammar acquisition in preschool children is related to white matter maturation of the dorsal language network.

Developmental cognitive neuroscience·2026

Same author

Bidirectional relations between the maternal and infant gut microbiome and behavior.

Pediatric research·2025

Same author

Social Smiling and Laughter Are Linked to Enhanced Functional Brain Connectivity in Young Infants' Default Mode Network.

Developmental psychobiology·2025

Same author

The motivated social brain: a neurodevelopmental and evolutionary framework for social curiosity.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

When during development do our brains get tuned to the human voice?

Tobias Grossmann¹, Angela D Friederici

¹Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany. grossman@cbs.mpg.de

Social Neuroscience

|October 25, 2011

Summary

Voice processing in the temporal cortex develops between 4 and 7 months of age. This commentary discusses the implications and progress in infant voice processing research within developmental social neuroscience.

More Related Videos

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

Electroencephalography Measurements in Awake Marmosets Listening to Conspecific Vocalizations

Electroencephalography Measurements in Awake Marmosets Listening to Conspecific Vocalizations

Published on: July 26, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 28, 2026

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

Electroencephalography Measurements in Awake Marmosets Listening to Conspecific Vocalizations

Electroencephalography Measurements in Awake Marmosets Listening to Conspecific Vocalizations

Published on: July 26, 2024

Area of Science:

Developmental social neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience
Infant development

Background:

Understanding the developmental trajectory of social-cognitive abilities in infancy is crucial.
Previous research has begun to explore how infants process social information, including voices.
The emergence of voice sensitivity in specific brain regions is a key area of investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To discuss the implications of recent findings on voice-sensitivity emergence in infant temporal cortex.
To review the progress in understanding infant voice processing.
To examine methodological and theoretical issues in developmental social neuroscience research.

Main Methods:

Commentary and discussion of existing research findings.
Analysis of evidence presented by Lloyd-Fox and colleagues (2012).
Examination of methodological and theoretical aspects of infant social neuroscience.

Main Results:

Evidence suggests voice-sensitivity in the temporal cortex emerges between 4 and 7 months of age.
Significant progress has been made in understanding infant voice processing.
The study highlights key areas for future research in developmental social neuroscience.

Conclusions:

The emergence of voice-sensitivity in infancy is a critical developmental milestone.
Continued research is needed to refine methodologies and theoretical frameworks in infant social neuroscience.
Understanding early voice processing contributes to broader knowledge of social development.