Temporal Patterns of Neonatal Vocalizations: A Normative Investigation

Abstract

Temporal acoustic features of the cry were elicited and recorded from 26 male and female neonates with high (8 up) Apgar scores on the second, third, and fourth days of life. The findings indicated no significant differences in any of the cry parameters across sexes or days. Mean values for cry latency 1.51 sec., vocalization time .65 sec., and pause time .49 sec. were reported as normative data. Results suggested that research with neonates should include timing features of crying behavior with respect to judging integrity of central and peripheral nervous systems.