Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2026
Classical Short-Delay Eyeblink Conditioning in One-Year-Old Children
Published on: September 1, 2018
Neonatal eyelid conditioning during sleep
Amanda R Tarullo1, Joseph R Isler2, Carmen Condon3
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts. atarullo@bu.edu.
Insights
Newborn infants can learn during sleep via eyelid conditioning. This learning is more effective during quiet sleep, suggesting sleep state influences neonatal learning and potential early screening methods.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
Background:
- Newborn infants demonstrate learning capabilities, even during sleep.
- Previous research established eyelid conditioning as a learning paradigm in neonates.
- The influence of specific sleep states on neonatal learning remains an area for investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of sleep state in neonatal learning using delay eyelid conditioning.
- To determine if sleep state affects the acquisition of conditioned responses in newborns.
- To build upon prior findings demonstrating learning during sleep in infants.
Main Methods:
- Recording electroencephalogram (EEG), respiratory, and cardiovascular activity in sleeping full-term infants.
- Employing a delay eyelid conditioning paradigm with an auditory tone paired with an air puff stimulus.
- Utilizing a control group receiving unpaired tones and air puffs to assess conditioning specificity.
Main Results:
- Newborn infants in the experimental group showed significantly increased EMR rates to a tone alone after conditioning (more than doubled).
- The control group maintained low EMR rates, indicating the learned response was specific to the paired stimulus.
- Infant learners were more likely to exhibit conditioned EMRs during quiet sleep compared to active sleep.
Conclusions:
- Newborn infants reliably learn through delay eyelid conditioning during sleep.
- Quiet sleep appears to be a more conducive state for the expression of conditioned responses in neonates.
- Findings suggest that eyelid conditioning, considering sleep state, may have potential applications for early developmental screening.
Abstract:
Using an eyelid conditioning paradigm modeled after that developed by Little, Lipsitt, and Rovee-Collier (1984), Fifer et al. (2010) demonstrated that newborn infants learn during sleep. This study examined the role of sleep state in neonatal learning. We recorded electroencephalogram (EEG), respiratory, and cardiovascular activity from sleeping full term newborn infants during delay eyelid conditioning. In the experimental group (n = 21), a tone was paired with an air puff to the eye. Consistent with Fifer et al. (2010), newborn infants reliably learned during sleep. The experimental group more than doubled EMR rates to a tone alone, while a control group (n = 17) presented with unpaired tones and puffs maintained low EMR rates. Infant learners were more likely to produce a conditioned EMR during quiet sleep compared to active sleep. Understanding the influence of sleep state on conditioned responses will inform the potential use of eyelid conditioning for early screening.
