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Newborns modulate their crawling in response to their native language but not another language
Charlotte Hym1, Marie-Victorine Dumuids1, David I Anderson2
1Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS - Université de Paris, Paris, France.
Developmental Science
|February 25, 2022
Summary
Newborn crawling is not just a spinal reflex. French newborns enhanced their crawling movements and head orientation when hearing their native language, demonstrating supra-spinal control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Human Newborn Behavior
Background:
- Newborn crawling, a behavior observed immediately after birth, has traditionally been viewed as a simple spinal reflex.
- Emerging research indicates that neonatal crawling may be influenced by stimuli processed at higher brain levels (supra-spinal).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether newborn crawling can be modulated by auditory stimuli processed supra-spinally, specifically their native language.
- To determine if auditory language processing influences motor patterns in human newborns.
Main Methods:
- 23 French newborns' crawling patterns were recorded using video and motion capture.
- Newborns were exposed to repetitive sentences in their native language (French) and an unfamiliar language (English) in a randomized order.
- Crawling movements, including arm/leg steps and trunk rotations, were analyzed, along with head orientation responses.
Main Results:
- Newborns exhibited enhanced crawling in French compared to English, with more steps and greater trunk rotations.
- Significantly more head and trunk rotations towards the sound source were observed when listening to French versus English.
- These findings suggest auditory language processing influences neonatal motor behavior.
Conclusions:
- Newborn crawling is a complex motor pattern, not merely a spinal reflex, and is responsive to higher-order, supra-spinally processed stimuli.
- The ability to modulate crawling based on native language suggests early auditory-motor integration and supra-spinal influence on neonatal behavior.
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