PERSISTENT EFFECTS OF EARLY ODOR EXPOSURE ON HUMAN NEONATES

Human neonates were exposed to an artificial odorant for approximately 22 h within the first two days after birth. When tested on days 16-18 postpartum, these infants displayed preferential orientation to the exposure odor when paired with a novel odorant. The effects of early mere exposure on the stimulus properties of odors can therefore endure over a two-week interval, indicating that infants retain a memory trace of the exposure odor throughout that time period.