Intersensory function in newborns: effect of sound on visual preferences.

The results of this study indicate that newborn infants' fixation of a graduated series of visual stimuli comprised of a low (1), intermediate (4 or 16), and a high (64) number of cubes is significantly different in the absence and presence of sound (white-noise bursts). Relative to the no-sound condition, sound resulted in the infants' tendency to look more at the low-intensity visual stimulus and less at the high-intensity visual stimulus. These results provide support for the idea that the newborns' optimal or preferred amount of stimulation is based on the total amount or intensity of stimulus input, regardless of whether this is contributed to by stimulation from one or more than one modality.