The Human Fetus Preferentially Engages with Face-like Visual Stimuli

In the third trimester of pregnancy, the human fetus has the capacity to process perceptual information [1–3]. With advances in 4D ultrasound technology, detailed assessment of fetal behavior [4] is now possible. Furthermore, modeling of intrauterine conditions has indicated a substantially greater luminance within the uterus than previously thought [5]. Consequently, light conveying perceptual content could be projected through the uterine wall and perceived by the fetus, dependent on how light interfaces with maternal tissue. We do know that human infants at birth show a preference to engage with a top-heavy, face-like stimulus when contrasted with all other forms of stimuli [6, 7]. However, the viability of performing such an experiment based on visual stimuli projected through the uterine wall with fetal participants is not currently known. We examined fetal head turns to visually presented upright and inverted face-like stimuli. Here we show that the fetus in the third trimester of pregnancy is more likely to engage with upright configural stimuli when contrasted to inverted visual stimuli, in a manner similar to results with newborn participants. The current study suggests that postnatal experience is not required for this preference. In addition, we describe a new method whereby it is possible to deliver specific visual stimuli to the fetus. This new technique provides an important new pathway for the assessment of prenatal visual perceptual capacities. •The third trimester human fetus looks toward three dots configured like a face•The human fetus does not look toward three inverted configuration dots•Postnatal experience of faces is not required for this predisposition•Projecting patterned stimuli through maternal tissue to the fetus is feasible Reid et al. find that the human fetus in the third trimester prefers to look at face-like stimuli when contrasted with the same stimuli in an inverted configuration, suggesting that this predisposition does not require postnatal experience and showing that the delivery of visual stimuli via maternal tissue to the fetus is technically feasible.