An Expectant Couple Is Wondering About What Their Fetus Is

question 12

Essay

An expectant couple is wondering about what their fetus is able to hear, and they are thinking about attempting an "education" program of reading books and playing music to their unborn child. They ask a nurse if that is a good idea. What should he tell them about the auditory experience of their fetus? What sounds does the fetus generally hear every day? What should he tell the couple about the ability of the fetus to learn from its auditory experience? Provide two examples of prenatal learning that are due to prenatal auditory experience. What advice should the nurse offer these parents on whether they should attempt the prenatal "education" program?

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Definitions:

Independent Variable

In an experiment, the variable that is manipulated or changed by the researcher to observe its effects on the dependent variable.

Social Desirability Bias

A type of response bias in surveys or questionnaires where respondents answer in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others, potentially skewing results.

Confederate

An individual who is part of an experiment but pretends to be a participant while working for the researcher, often used to manipulate social interactions.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency of respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others, potentially leading to inaccuracies in surveys or experiments.