# DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS' AUDITORY PERCEPTION

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY · 1992 · $68,881

## Abstract

The proposed research seeks (1) to explore the development of auditory
perceptual abilities, specifically pitch and timbre perception, during
infancy, and (2) to delineate the acoustic cues infants use in those tasks
as a means of determining the mechanisms underlying complex auditory
processing.  Both pitch and timbre perception appear to require the
integration or synthesis of information gained from a peripheral analysis
on the spectral characteristics of signals.  Whereas it is known that
infants can synthesize pitch and timbre from clear, unambiguous acoustic
signals, and understanding of the mechanisms underlying those perceptions
requires that the range of stimuli presented to infants be expanded and
that the limits of perception be determined.  The studies of pitch
perception will assess the limits of infants' abilities to synthesize pitch
from a variety of complex spectra that have been used with adults.
Specifically, these studies will (1) assess the synthesis of pitch from
harmonic tonal complexes containing different numbers of spectral
components by 7-month-old infants and naive adults; (2) test infants'
extraction of pitch from inharmonic tonal complexes with varying degrees of
inharmonicity; (3) evaluate infants' perception of the missing fundamental
from signals having high fundamental frequencies, which do not elicit a
pitch for adults; and (4) measure the effects of different-frequency
maskers on infants discrimination of pure tone and tonal complexes.
Studies of timbre perception will move beyond the simple discrimination
already demonstrated and attempt to determine the basis of infants'
responding.  Specifically, these studies, will (1) test infants'
discriminate; and (2) assess infants' abilities to integrate spectral
information across widely separate frequency regions in a profile analysis
task.  Seven-month-old infants will be tested in a conditioned head turning
procedure where thy will be asked to discriminate complex acoustic signals
and to categorize those signals on the basis of pitch or timbre.  By
delineating the nature of complex auditory perception for infants, the
proposed research will provide an important first step in the formulation
of a general model of auditory development.  Comparisons of infants'
performance with that of adults will indicate the degree to which adult
theories of auditory perception can be generalized to infants and highlight
the magnitude and quality of the developmental changes that must be
accounted for by models of auditory development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2197305
- **Project number:** 5R01HD016480-07
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** MNS7B9CVKDN7
- **Principal Investigator:** MARSHA G CLARKSON
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $68,881
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1986-04-01 → 1994-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2197305

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2197305, DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS' AUDITORY PERCEPTION (5R01HD016480-07). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2197305. Licensed CC0.

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