Current Studies
|
Calling all mothers of infants between 9-12-months old!
We need mothers to participate in a 30-minute online study. The purpose of this study is to assess how mothers perceive infant vocalizations. We will ask you watch and rate a series of videos containing infant sounds. You will then complete a questionnaire about your attitudes of infant behavior. At the conclusion of the study, you will have the option to enter your email address to receive a $5 gift card for Amazon. Please note you’ll need to be on a computer/tablet ( not a phone) and be able to listen to sound while completing the study. To participate in our study please email [email protected] for a link. |
|
Recently Published
Infant vocalizations elicit simplified speech in childcare
Infants use their vocalizations to actively shape their learning environments in multiple social settings- including childcare classrooms! Previous work has shown that mothers simplify their speech in response to babbles which helps infants learn language more easily. The results of this paper demonstrate that childcare teachers simplify their speech when responding to baby babbles. Infants heard shorter, simpler, and less unique speech from their teachers after babbling. Just like in mother-infant conversations, teachers provide simpler more learnable information at moments infants are more receptive to learning. This ‘simplification effect’ finding is important to consider when designing educational opportunities to support language development in childcare settings. Our results suggest that encouraging more talk in classrooms isn’t the primary goal. Rather, teachers should be encouraged engage in conversations to create speech that is sensitive, simplified, and appropriately timed.
Albert, R. R., Ernst, M., & Vallotton, C. D. (2022). Infant vocalizations elicit simplified speech in childcare. Infancy, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/ infa.12520
Infants use their vocalizations to actively shape their learning environments in multiple social settings- including childcare classrooms! Previous work has shown that mothers simplify their speech in response to babbles which helps infants learn language more easily. The results of this paper demonstrate that childcare teachers simplify their speech when responding to baby babbles. Infants heard shorter, simpler, and less unique speech from their teachers after babbling. Just like in mother-infant conversations, teachers provide simpler more learnable information at moments infants are more receptive to learning. This ‘simplification effect’ finding is important to consider when designing educational opportunities to support language development in childcare settings. Our results suggest that encouraging more talk in classrooms isn’t the primary goal. Rather, teachers should be encouraged engage in conversations to create speech that is sensitive, simplified, and appropriately timed.
Albert, R. R., Ernst, M., & Vallotton, C. D. (2022). Infant vocalizations elicit simplified speech in childcare. Infancy, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/ infa.12520
Baby Lab Playroom
