A study demonstrated newborns' ability to recognize their mother's scent by placing 1-week-old infants between two gauze pads: one from their mother's bra and one from a stranger's. Over two-thirds of the babies turned their heads toward the pad with their mother's scent, confirming their ability to make this distinction.

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Newborns have a well-developed sense of smell that enables them to distinguish their own mother's unique scent from that of other people. This olfactory recognition is evident as early as one week after birth.

Newborn Smell: Recognition of Mother's Scent

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Gauze Pad Study on Scent Recognition

Analyze the following scenario and provide the most likely explanation for the infant's behavior, based on an understanding of newborn sensory abilities.

Explaining Newborn Behavior

Based on the typical sensory capabilities of a newborn, provide the most likely explanation for the infant's change in behavior described in the scenario below.

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