Tuning in to musical rhythms: Infants learn more readily than adults

In this Canadian study, brief exposure to foreign music enabled 12-month-olds to perceive rhythmic distinctions in musical contexts (such as Balkan folk tunes) that adults cannot detect unless they come from that culture. However, babies lose this ability as they get older and have more exposure to the music of their own culture. This may indicate a sensitive period early in life for acquiring rhythm in particular or socially and biologically important structures more generally.