# Psychological functions of music in infancy

> **NIH NIH DP5** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $180,635

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
[Xnchanged from ParenW GranW]
MXVic iV a VignaWXUe of Whe hXman e[SeUience. A XbiTXiWoXV, ancienW, and XniTXel\ hXman acWiYiW\, mXVic
aSSeaUV acUoVV VocieWieV ZiWh UemaUkable diYeUViW\ and ZiWh SaUWicXlaU Vignificance eaUl\ in Whe lifeVSan: infanWV
haYe SUecocial mXVic SeUceSWion abiliWieV and aUe highl\ moWiYaWed Wo liVWen Wo mXVic, Zhile SaUenWV ofWen
SUodXce mXVic foU infanWV. Wh\ aUe Ze mXVical? WhaW feaWXUeV of mXVic dUiYe iWV effecWV on liVWeneUV? Can
mXVic be leYeUaged Wo imSUoYe infanW and SaUenW healWh? HXman infanWV aUe helSleVV and need SaUenWV¶
aWWenWion Wo enVXUe WheiU VafeW\. A VimSle foUm of mXVic, infanW-diUecWed Vong, ma\ fXncWion aV a SoWenW foUm of
SaUenWal aWWenWion. If Vo, When (1) infanW-diUecWed Vong VhoXld VhaUe feaWXUeV acUoVV all hXman cXlWXUeV, (2)
infanW-diUecWed Vong VhoXld Ueliabl\ UedXce infanW diVWUeVV, and (3) incUeaVeV in Whe UegXlaUiW\ of SaUenWV¶ XVe of
infanW-diUecWed Vong VhoXld imSUoYe infanW WemSeUamenW and SaUenW Zell-being. The VSecific aimV of WhiV
UeVeaUch addUeVV each of WheVe SUedicWionV. AIM 1: Determine the uniYersal acoustical features of
infant-directed song across human cultures. CoUSXV anal\VeV of aXdio UecoUdingV fUom 100 VocieWieV Zill
deWeUmine Whe infanW-diUecWed Vong¶V XniYeUVal acoXVWical feaWXUeV, and e[SeUimenWV in childUen and adXlWV Zill
deWeUmine XniYeUValV in SeUfoUmance VW\le and conWenW of infanW-diUecWed Vong. AIM 2: Test the short-term
efficac\ of infant-directed song for regulating distress in infants. WiWh claVVic meWhodV fUom infanW
WemSeUamenW UeVeaUch, e[SeUimenWV Zill WeVW infanW-diUecWed Vong¶V efficac\ in UedXcing diVWUeVV b\ Uandoml\
aVVigning SaUenWV Wo Ving oU VSeak Wo infanWV afWeU diVWUeVV iV indXced and WeVWing Whe laWenc\ Wo UecoYeU\ fUom
diVWUeVV. FXUWheU e[SeUimenWV iVolaWe Whe acoXVWical feaWXUeV of mXVic WhaW SUodXce Whe laUgeVW main effecWV.
AIM 3: E[amine long-term effects of parental song on infant temperament and parent Zell-being. TZo
longiWXdinal VWXdieV Zill deWeUmine Whe caXVal effecWV of incUeaVeV in Whe XVe of infanW-diUecWed Vong on infanW
behaYioU and SaUenW Zell-being. InfanW daWa Zill be collecWed Yia a neZ VmaUWShone aSS adminiVWeUing
ecological momenWaU\ aVVeVVmenW and SaUenW an[ieW\, haSSineVV, and Velf-eVWeem Zill be WeVWed Yia ImSliciW
AVVociaWion TaVkV and Velf-UeSoUWV. IMPACT. ThiV UeVeaUch Zill cUeaWe a YaUieW\ of XVefXl UeVoXUceV foU Whe
UeVeaUch commXniW\: a neZ, e[Sanded coUSXV of mXVic fUom man\ Vmall-Vcale VocieWieV; YalidaWion of a neZ,
minimall\ inYaViYe Sh\Viological moniWoUing deYice foU XVe in infanWV; a neZ meWhod foU meaVXUing infanW
UecoYeU\ fUom diVWUeVV; a neZ Yideo coUSXV of infanW diVWUeVV indXcWion and UecoYeU\; and a neZ VmaUWShone
aSS foU aVVeVVing infanW WemSeUamenW in Whe home. FXUWheU, WhiV ZoUk Zill SUoYide Whe fiUVW V\VWemaWic
chaUacWeUi]aWion of Whe acoXVWical feaWXUeV WhaW XndeUlie infanW-diUecWed Vong, iW Zill deWeUmine ZheWheU mXVic iV
a SaUWicXlaUl\ effecWiYe meanV of UegXlaWing infanW...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10798451
- **Project number:** 7DP5OD024566-07
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Samuel A Mehr
- **Activity code:** DP5 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $180,635
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2023-04-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10798451

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10798451, Psychological functions of music in infancy (7DP5OD024566-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10798451. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*