Music as a Prenatal Regulatory Signal: A Systematic Review Integrating Fetal Auditory Development, Predictive Processing, and Maternal–Fetal Physiology

This dataset supports a systematic review investigating the role of structured auditory stimulation during prenatal development. The study synthesizes evidence from 24 empirical studies examining fetal physiological regulation, prenatal learning, and postnatal auditory memory in response to music exposure. Extracted variables include acoustic parameters (tempo, intensity, spectral characteristics), stimulus delivery conditions (device, placement, distance), maternal physiological context, gestational age, and experimental control features. Missing data were systematically coded as "Not Reported (NR)", enabling quantitative analysis of reporting completeness. Results indicate that structured auditory stimulation modulates fetal heart rate (2–5 bpm reduction), supports habituation and early learning, and contributes to postnatal auditory memory. The dataset includes all extracted variables, coding schema, and reporting quality metrics, providing a transparent and reproducible foundation for future research.