HUMAN FETAL BEHAVIOR - 100 YEARS OF STUDY

The literature on spontaneous and stimulus induced human, fetal behavi our is reviewed. Spontaneous fetal behaviours, including body movement s, fetal heart rate, coupling of body movements and fetal heart rate, breathing, and the association among behaviours have been characterize d. In addition, maturation of behaviours have been described from conc eption to term. Stimulus induced behaviour, in particular fetal heart rate changes and body movements, have been used to examine sensory and cognitive development. Both spontaneous and stimulus induced behaviou r are being employed to assess fetal well-being. Given a rich database , the focus of research is shifting from the characterization of behav iour to the identification and understanding of processes, mechanisms, and experiential factors underlying development. (C) 1998 Academic Pr ess.