Developmental Trends in Fetal Habituation to Vibroacoustic Stimulation

ABSTRACT Habituation is a measure of the ability to inhibit responding and is a more mature form of behavior than is persistent responding. We examined the developmental trend in habituation of the fetal startle response to repeated vibroacoustic stimulation in 90 normal human fetuses between 28 and 40 weeks of gestation. Fetal movement was graded according to the nature of the behavioral response: general startle (3), fast limb movement (2), slow rolling movement (1), and no movement (0). A significant developmental difference (P