Babies raised in bilingual homes learn new words differently than infants learning on...(with two different objects. Experiment 1...),Health

Date:9/27/2007

with two different objects. Experiment 1 included a heterogeneous sample of bilingual babies (i.e., those exposed to English and another language). Experiment 2 tested two homogeneous groups of bilingual infants (English-French and English-Chinese). In both experiments, infants were repeatedly presented with a crown-shaped object that was called bih and a molecule-shaped object called dih. They were then tested on their ability to notice a switch in an objects name (for example, the molecule-shaped object being called bih instead of dih). In all of the groups, the bilingual infants failed to notice the minimal change in the objects name until 20 months of age, whereas monolingual infants noticed the change at 17 months.

This later use of relevant language sounds (such as consonants) to direct word learning is due to the increased demands of learning two languages, the researchers suggest. Ignoring the consonant detail in a new word may be an adaptive tool used by bilingual infants in learning new words. Outside the laboratory, there is little cost to overlooking some of the consonant detail in new words, as there are few similar-sounding words in infants early vocabularies. By paying less attention to the detailed sound information in the word, bilingual infants can devote more cognitive resources to making the links between words and objects.

Extending this approach to word learning for a few months longer than monolinguals may help bilinguals keep up with their peers. Indeed, previous research has shown that bilinguals and monolinguals achieve language-learning milestones (such as speaking their first word) at similar ages and have vocabularies of similar sizes when words from both languages are taken into account.

Through studies with bilingual infants, we can gain a deeper understanding of language development in all infants, according to Christopher T. Fennell, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa and the lead author of t
'/>"/>

Contact: Andrea Browning abrowning@srcd.org 202-289-7905 Society for Research in Child Development Source:Eurekalert

1 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. How do babies understand language?
2. Test-tube babies show no emotional problems
3. Contraceptive pills may lead to deformities in babies
4. American scientists alter gene makeup of babies
5. Babies of the deaf communicate
6. Diabetics and their babies
7. Avoid stress to have strong babies
8. Hypothyroidism can affect babies
9. Babies Need Vaccination
10. Mothers with periodontitis may deliver premature babies
11. Babies of the deaf communicate