New Study Challenges Preconceptions About Language Development in Infants and Toddlers
Language acquisition in infants and toddlers has long been a topic of fascination and study among researchers. A new study conducted by Elika Bergelson, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard, challenges preconceived notions about language development, particularly in low-income families. The research, which involved analyzing daylong audio recordings of 1,001 children from diverse backgrounds, reveals that early comprehension begins as young as 6-7 months, with significant improvements occurring around a child’s first birthday.
Bergelson’s research refutes the assumption that socio-economic status significantly impacts a child’s language development. The study utilized machine learning to analyze audio recordings from children across 12 countries and 43 languages, providing a diverse and comprehensive dataset. The findings suggest that age, clinical factors such as prematurity or dyslexia, and the amount of speech children receive from their environment are the main predictors of language development globally.
The study challenges the notion that parents talk more or differently to older babies, which was previously believed to contribute to the burst of word production that occurs around 18 months. Bergelson’s research indicates that there is no fundamental difference in how parents interact with 6-month-olds compared to 12-month-olds. This finding suggests that the improvement in language comprehension around a child’s first birthday is not solely due to increased input from caregivers but rather the baby’s growing social, cognitive, or linguistic abilities.
Bergelson’s research aims to broaden the scope of language development research to include more diverse populations and to understand the mechanisms of language acquisition in children, including those who are deaf or blind. She emphasizes the importance of studying a wider range of children beyond white, middle-class Americans, which has been the focus of much previous research in the field.
The study also highlights the use of machine learning in analyzing large datasets of audio recordings. While this approach provides a “coarse-grained” estimate of a child’s speech input or production, it complements traditional methods and allows for a more comprehensive analysis of language development.
In addition to her work on language development in infants and toddlers, Bergelson is also pursuing research on language development in children who are deaf or blind. The case of blindness is particularly interesting, as blind adults’ language skills are largely indistinguishable from sighted individuals. Understanding how language develops in children who are blind can provide valuable insights into the overall process of language acquisition.
Overall, Bergelson’s study challenges common assumptions about language development in infants and toddlers. By analyzing a diverse dataset and utilizing machine learning, the research provides new insights into the factors that influence language acquisition and comprehension in young children. The findings have the potential to improve early interventions for children who struggle with language development and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how language develops in all individuals.
