In their study Fetal learning: a prospective randomized controlled study, James, Spencer and Stepsis’ objective was “to examine whether prenatal exposure to a music stimulus alters fetal behavior and whether this continues into the newborn period” (James et al, 2002, p. 431).

Despite the limitations, both of the studies did in fact prove that fetal learning is possible. Through exposure learning the fetus is presented with a stimulus, which he later recognizes as a neonate. Through habituation, a fetus becomes less interested with repeated exposure to the same stimulus. This knowledge, if used by the right people, could mean great changes in how fetuses are thought of a treated.

The researchers found that both the control and music groups had significantly more heart rate and activity transitions during exposure to music compared to the baseline period. The study demonstrated an effect of repeated music exposure in multiple fetuses, carried over into the newborn period, suggesting that it is possible for the human fetus to learn.

Similar to this study is another conducted in the Netherlands by Heteren, Boekkooi, Jongsma and Nijhuis. Their study, Fetal habituation to vibroacoustic stimulation in relation to fetal states and fetal heart rate parameters, proposes to prove that “fetal habituation to repeated stimulation has the potential to become a tool in the assessment of fetal condition and of the function of the fetal central nervous system,” Heteren et al, 2000, p. 135). Thus, they conducted a study using a habituation model to examine the ability of the fetus to learn. The design was planned to test fetal habituation in healthy term fetuses and to study the influence of fetal states, state transition and fetal heart rate parameters on habituation. Thirty-seven healthy pregnant women were chosen to take part in the study, based on gestational age, the absence of maternal medical or obstetric complications, single fetus without apparent structural anomalies and with an expected birth weight above the 10th percentile, normal amniotic fluid volume as assessed by ultrasound and no maternal u

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