Fetus learns in the womb

     Other studies have even gone inside the womb to explore the capacity of third-trimester fetuses to learn. How can such an experiment be done? If you make a noise by placing a “vibroacoustic stimulator” against a pregnant mother’s abdomen, the fetus will move. If this is done repeatedly the fetus will eventually stop moving in response to the noise. That shows that the fetus has habituated, it has learned to recognize the sound and tune it out. A fetus will show the effects of this simple kind of learning – responding less persistently to the same stimulus reapplied in the future not just after ten minutes, but even after 24 hours.

     Survival of a helpless newborn depends on bonding with the mother immediately after birth, presumably an infant’s brain must be sufficiently developed to recognize matters essential for its post-natal well-being. Therefore, the bonding process must begin prior to birth. As we’ve seen, to conserve energy the fetus is able to learn not to react when a new event has proven that it is not a danger. To identify its food-source later on, the fetus acquires the life-preserving ability to recognize and crave the sound of its mother’s voice.