PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Babbling babies -- responding to one-on-one 'baby talk' -- master more words

2014-01-07
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Molly McElroy
mollywmc@uw.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Babbling babies -- responding to one-on-one 'baby talk' -- master more words AUDIO: A parent demonstrates babytalk ( "parentese ") with child.
Click here for more information.

Common advice to new parents is that the more words babies hear the faster their vocabulary grows. Now new findings show that what spurs early language development isn't so much the quantity of words as the style of speech and social context in which speech occurs.

Researchers at the University of Washington and University of Connecticut examined thousands of 30-second snippets of verbal exchanges between parents and babies. They measured parents' use of a regular speaking voice versus an exaggerated, animated baby talk style, and whether speech occurred one-on-one between parent and child or in group settings.

"What our analysis shows is that the prevalence of baby talk in one-on-one conversations with children is linked to better language development, both concurrent and future," said Patricia Kuhl, co-author and co-director of UW's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.

The more parents exaggerated vowels – for example "How are youuuuu?" – and raised the pitch of their voices, the more the 1-year olds babbled, which is a forerunner of word production. Baby talk was most effective when a parent spoke with a child individually, without other adults or children around.

"The fact that the infant's babbling itself plays a role in future language development shows how important the interchange between parent and child is," Kuhl said.

The findings will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Developmental Science.

Twenty-six babies about 1 year of age wore vests containing audio recorders that collected sounds from the children's auditory environment for eight hours a day for four days. The researchers used LENA ("language environment analysis") software to examine 4,075 30-second intervals of recorded speech. Within those segments, the researchers identified who was talking in each segment, how many people were there, whether baby talk – also known as "parentese" – or regular voice was used, and other variables.

When the babies were 2 years old, parents filled out a questionnaire measuring how many words their children knew. Infants who had heard more baby talk knew more words. In the study, 2-year olds in families who spoke the most baby talk in a one-on-one social context knew 433 words, on average, compared with the 169 words recognized by 2-year olds in families who used the least babytalk in one-on-one situations.

The relationship between baby talk and language development persisted across socioeconomic status and despite there only being 26 families in the study.

"Some parents produce baby talk naturally and they don't realize they're benefiting their children," said first author Nairán Ramírez-Esparza, an assistant psychology professor at the University of Connecticut. "Some families are more quiet, not talking all the time. But it helps to make an effort to talk more."

Previous studies have focused on the amount of language babies hear, without considering the social context. The new study shows that quality, not quantity, is what matters.

"What this study is adding is that how you talk to children matters. Parentese is much better at developing language than regular speech, and even better if it occurs in a one-on-one interaction," Ramirez-Esparza said.

Parents can use baby talk when going about everyday activities, saying things like, "Where are your shoooes?," "Let's change your diiiiaper," and "Oh, this tastes goooood!," emphasizing important words and speaking slowly using a happy tone of voice.

"It's not just talk, talk, talk at the child," said Kuhl. "It's more important to work toward interaction and engagement around language. You want to engage the infant and get the baby to babble back. The more you get that serve and volley going, the more language advances."

###

A National Science Foundation Science of Learning Program to the UW-hosted LIFE Center funded the study.

For more information, contact Kuhl at 206-685-1921 or pkkuhl@uw.edu or Ramírez-Esparza 860-486-6365 or nairan.ramirez@uconn.edu.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Erythropoietin and the regulation of cancer stem cell growth and survival

2014-01-07
Erythropoietin and the regulation of cancer stem cell growth and survival In recent years, non-hematopoietic effects of erythropoietin (EPO), via its binding to the EPO receptor in non-hematopoietic tissues, including cancerous tissues, has been reported by many different ...

Development of a novel dual JAK/Src kinase inhibitor

2014-01-07
Development of a novel dual JAK/Src kinase inhibitor Inhibitors of both JAK and Src kinases represent promising targets for cancer therapeutics because of the central importance of these kinases in tumor cell proliferation and survival. Furthermore, in cancer cells activation ...

Out-of-pocket costs play major role in treatment adherence for cancer patients

2014-01-07
Out-of-pocket costs play major role in treatment adherence for cancer patients The cost of insurance co-payments for cutting-edge pharmaceuticals can vary widely from patient to patient. When the patient's share of prescription costs becomes ...

NASA's Fermi makes first gamma-ray study of a gravitational lens

2014-01-07
NASA's Fermi makes first gamma-ray study of a gravitational lens

Ear tubes vs. watchful waiting: Tubes do not improve long-term development

2014-01-07
Ear tubes vs. watchful waiting: Tubes do not improve long-term development Watchful waiting or ear tube surgery? It is a decision faced by millions of families of children with recurrent or chronic otitis media with effusion (non-infected ...

Including women on convening committees increases women speakers at scientific meetings

2014-01-07
Including women on convening committees increases women speakers at scientific meetings Women are currently underrepresented among speakers at scientific meetings, both in absolute terms and relative to their representation among attendees, but a new study suggests ...

'Traffic light' food labels, positioning of healthy items produce lasting choice changes

2014-01-07
'Traffic light' food labels, positioning of healthy items produce lasting choice changes The use of color-coded "traffic light" food labels and changes in the way popular items are displayed appear to have produced a long-term increase in the choice ...

Boost careers of female scientists: Make sure women help choose meeting speakers

2014-01-07
Boost careers of female scientists: Make sure women help choose meeting speakers January 7, 2014 — (BRONX, NY) — More women are choosing science careers, yet women are notoriously underrepresented in senior academic positions—often because they ...

Similar characteristics of brain DTI for healthy adult rhesus monkey and young people

2014-01-06
Similar characteristics of brain DTI for healthy adult rhesus monkey and young people Diffusion-tensor imaging can be used to observe the microstructure of brain tissue. Fractional anisotropy reflects the integrity of white matter fibers. Fractional anisotropy of ...

Mannotriose promotes survival of hippocampal neurons

2014-01-06
Mannotriose promotes survival of hippocampal neurons The main component of the Chinese herb Rehmannia, mannotriose, can improve learning and memory. Dr. Lina Zhang and colleagues from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China used 1 × 10 mol/L ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

[Press-News.org] Babbling babies -- responding to one-on-one 'baby talk' -- master more words