Babies' cries linked to th...( a piano versus a guitar and mode chan...),Health

While someone might be able to point out a noisy cry, there is little evidence that a high resonance is distinguishable from a low resonance by an untrained listener.

"Instead, resonance is identified by a computerized analysis of the cry signal in the studies cited in the paper -- this is why a detailed analysis of the cry signal is an important part of understanding the 'full message' of the cry," says LaGasse.

The authors also note that parents tend to understand the nature of their babies' cries well, and stress the importance of parental reaction to cries.

"Parents can usually tell the difference between pain and non-pain cries which guides the urgency of their care taking, and helps parents deal with infants with colic," says LaGasse.

But parent perception of their infant's cry may be affected by conditions such as depression or age of parent which can lead to action or nonaction which may be out of sync with the infant's needs. The most extreme case is "shaken baby syndrome" where the cry triggers aggression rather than concern in the caretaker.

Lester and LaGasse say that clinicians should be aware of how parents respond (or don't respond) to their baby's crying, especially in light of the high prevalence of depression in young mothers.

"Helping parents to correctly interpret their infants' cries can optimize development particularly in high risk infants who may have atypical signals or high risk parents who may misperceive a normal cry," they write.

'"/>

Contact: Carol L. Hoy
choy@lifespan.org
401-432-1328
Lifespan
16-May-2005