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Related Concept Videos

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
05:35

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

Do babies perceive cries as speech?

Gaia Lucarini1, Irene de la Cruz-Pavía2, Jessica Gemignani1

  • 1Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padua 35131, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua 35131, Italy.

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|July 14, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Newborns show heightened neural responses to infant cries compared to speech, suggesting a link between vocal production and auditory perception from birth. This early connection may be most evident for cries, a primary communication signal.

Keywords:
AdultsCry perceptionNewbornsSpeech perceptionfNIRS

More Related Videos

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
06:34

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
05:35

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

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
06:34

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Adults exhibit a strong link between speech perception and production.
  • This link is presumed to develop over time as infants gain language skills.
  • Infant cries, a communication signal present from birth, are influenced by prenatal speech exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if newborns perceive infant cries similarly to speech.
  • To explore the early emergence of the vocal production-perception link.

Main Methods:

  • Used neuroimaging techniques to measure neural responses in newborns and adults.
  • Exposed French neonates to French cries and speech.
  • Exposed Italian adults to French speech and cries.

Main Results:

  • French neonates displayed greater neural activity in the right temporal region in response to cries than to speech.
  • Italian adults showed a stronger neural response to speech than to cries.
  • Newborns exhibit a heightened response to less familiar, acoustically simpler, yet producible signals like cries.

Conclusions:

  • The production-perception link in vocal communication may be present from birth.
  • Infant cries serve as a crucial early communication signal where this link is observable.
  • Early auditory perception is tuned to the infant's own vocalizations and their production capabilities.