Which statement best reflects early infant voice recognition?

• A. Infants respond to higher-pitched voices and can distinguish their mother's voice soon after birth.
• B. Infants respond to lower-pitched voices and can distinguish their mother's voice soon after birth.
• C. Infants do not distinguish voices until several weeks old.
• D. Voice pitch is irrelevant to early recognition.

Answer: (A)

Infants are wired to notice voices from birth, especially speech that is higher-pitched and singsong in quality. This melodic, infant-directed speech is particularly attention-grabbing for a newborn’s developing hearing and helps support bonding and early language learning. Because the mother’s voice tends to be higher pitched and carries familiar rhythms, newborns can recognize and differentiate their mother’s voice soon after birth, often within the first days. This combination of sensitivity to pitch and familiar caregiver voice explains why the statement describing a response to higher-pitched voices and early recognition of the mother’s voice best reflects early infant voice recognition. Lower-pitched voices are less salient to newborns, and the idea that they can’t distinguish voices until weeks later or that pitch doesn’t matter doesn’t align with how newborn hearing and social bonding operate.