Ontogeny of Human Auditory System Function

Abstract

When Edwin W Rubel published Ontogeny of Auditory System Function in 1984, little was known about human auditory development. This chapter summarizes the progress that has been made in that regard in the subsequent decades. It concludes that although the developmental course of many basic aspects of human auditory function has now been described, the morphological and physiological mechanisms responsible for that development are still largely unknown. Furthermore, it is not clear why some basic auditory abilities mature much later than others or why the developmental course of listening in complex sound environments extends into adolescence. Finally, the existence and timing of critical periods in human auditory development have only begun to be established. Although studies of development of the nonhuman auditory system may elucidate the mechanisms underlying human auditory development, there are difficulties inherent to the comparison of altricial and precocial species. Recent work combining behavioral and neural measures in both humans and nonhumans offers the promise of future progress in this field.