Foetal Heart Rate Responses to Music during Late Gestation

Previous studies have shown that some musical processes are already present during late gestation. Foetal timbre and harmony perception have not yet been investigated, but newborns can already discriminate different timbres and harmonies. Given the prenatal origin of many neonatal competences, these musical abilities might also start during gestation which is the objective of the present study. Experiment 1 uses a clarinet, a trumpet, and a violin timbre while Experiment 2 uses various major and minor chords. Both experiments are divided into several sound and silence blocks. Foetal heart rate (FHR) will be measured with a cardiotocograph and 2D- ultrasound will be used to perform foetal check-ups and to monitor foetal movements during the experiments. It is hypothesised that we will see an initial decrease in the FHR after stimulus presentation as part of an orienting response, followed by a slowly decreasing heart rate acceleration, as has been shown in previous FHR studies. This response will decrease during individual sound blocks, showing habituation to the repeatedly presented stimulus. If foetuses are able to discriminate musical timbres and harmonies, it is expected to see an increase in the FHR response when a new stimulus is being introduced. FHR will be analysed in a time series analysis. The results will add to the existing knowledge of foetal auditory processing capacities. Future studies will then be able to determine how prenatal music exposure affects (early) development and how we can utilise music to help foetuses with risk factors for atypical development.