Lateral asymmetries in infant melody perception

Author(s): Anderson, L. M., Wisniewski, A. B.

Journal/Book: Develop Psychol. 1998; 34: 750 First St NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Amer Psychological Assoc. 39-48.

Abstract: Two experiments investigated lateral asymmetries in infants' perception of contour-altered and contour-preserved melody changes. In the first study, 40 infants (8.5 months old) of right-handed parents were trained to respond to binaural melody changes with a head turn toward mechanized toy reinforcers. The subsequent test phase included monaural left-ear and right-ear presentations of the familiar melody and of a changed melody. Infants who heard a contour-altered change showed a left-ear advantage, whereas infants who heard a contour-preserved change showed a right-ear advantage. These effects were replicated with a different set of melodies in the second study. The pattern of lateralization for detection of melody changes in infants of right-handed parents resembles that previously found in right-handed adults and may reflect more general hemispheric processing differences in the early organization of auditory information processing.

Note: Article Balaban MT, Eastern Oregon Univ, Dept Psychol, 1410 L Ave, La Grande,OR 97850 USA

Keyword(s): SHIFTING EAR DIFFERENCES; BRAIN-DAMAGED PATIENTS; HEMISPHERIC-DIFFERENCES; CHILDRENS PERCEPTION; CEREBRAL DOMINANCE; CORTICAL RESPONSES; SPEECH STIMULI; CONTOUR; RECOGNITION; PREFERENCE

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