Acoustic variation and arousal level in infants.

This study compared the effects of three auditory background conditions—no sound, intermittent sound, and continuous sound—on level of arousal in infants. The study also investigated responsiveness to discrete auditory stimuli superimposed upon these background conditions. The results indicated that level of arousal was decreased by continuous sound and increased by intermittent sound, relative to the no sound condition. Measures of level of arousal included state, respiration, heart rate, and motor activity. Responsiveness to discrete auditory stimuli, superimposed upon the background conditions and measured by evoked responses, was not predictable from indices of arousal level.

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