Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
Response to MacNeilage and Davis and to Oller
D H Whalen1, Sara Giulivi, Louis M Goldstein
1Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut and Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, City University of New York.
Infants may not need segmental control for speech acquisition, as other articulators can create sound patterns. Modeling suggests Articulatory Phonology (AP) better explains babbling than Frame-then-Content (FC) theories.
Area of Science:
- Speech Acquisition
- Developmental Linguistics
- Phonetics
Background:
- The Frame-then-Content (FC) perspective on speech acquisition posits segment-level control.
- Alternative theories suggest other mechanisms for early speech sound production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity of the Frame-then-Content (FC) perspective on speech acquisition.
- To compare the explanatory power of FC against Articulatory Phonology (AP) using computational modeling.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of infant feeding behaviors, focusing on articulator control (tongue, lips).
- Computational modeling of speech acquisition theories, specifically FC and AP.
- Review and critique of existing literature on speech acquisition models.
Main Results:
- Modeling results show limited support for the FC account.
- Substantial support was found for the Articulatory Phonology (AP) model.
- Infant feeding demonstrates significant control over tongue and lip movements, challenging FC assumptions.
Conclusions:
- The FC account's reliance on segmental control may be unfounded.
- Articulatory Phonology (AP) offers a more robust framework for understanding early speech development.
- Infant articulator control during feeding provides evidence against the FC model.
More Related Videos
07:58Quantitative Imaging of Lineage-specific Toll-like Receptor-mediated Signaling in Monocytes and Dendritic Cells from Small Samples of Human Blood
Published on: April 16, 2012
14:57Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology
Published on: March 23, 2011
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
Factors Affecting Drug Response: Overview
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Cognitive Development During Adulthood