Twenty-four newborns (M age = 12 days) of depressed and nondepressed mother
s were assessed for oral perception of a nubby and smooth texture. Both gro
ups of newborns discriminated between these textures and showed a sucking p
reference for the smooth texture. However, the newborns of depressed mother
s spent 50% less time orally exploring the stimuli, one-third less time exp
loring the more novel nubby texture, and 59% less time mouthing the smooth
texture. Newborns of depressed mothers may have biological differences that
affect their emotional arousal and emotional regulation (e.g., capacity fo
r self-soothing).