What is the difference between the auditory abilities of a newborn infant and a 6-month-old infant?
A)A newborn cannot discriminate sounds at all, while a 6-month-old infant can easily tell the difference between different sounds and voices.
B)A newborn will orient toward the source of sounds, while a 6-month-old infant has adult levels of auditory discrimination.
C)A newborn infant does not show preferences to sounds of different languages, while a 6-month-old prefers sounds from languages they've never heard before.
D)There are no differences in hearing since this system does not fully develop until 1 year of age.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A newborn infant has basic auditory abilities such as being able to hear and respond to sounds, but they are not able to discriminate between different sounds and voices. In contrast, a 6-month-old infant has developed adult-like levels of auditory discrimination and can easily tell the difference between different sounds and voices. They can also recognize familiar voices and prefer sounds from their native language. However, they may still have difficulty distinguishing between certain sounds, such as those used in languages they are not familiar with.

What Is the Difference Between the Auditory Abilities of a Newborn