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Related Experiment Videos

Listen up! Speech is for thinking during infancy.

Athena Vouloumanos1, Sandra R Waxman2

  • 1Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY, 10003-6603, USA.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|December 3, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Human speech exposure in the first year shapes infants' cognitive and social skills beyond language. Early listening to speech advances fundamental psychological processes and learning, challenging prior beliefs about its limited cognitive benefits.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Infant speech perception is crucial for language acquisition.
  • Previous research suggested limited cognitive benefits of speech for infants beyond language.
  • The role of early speech exposure in broader cognitive and social development remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of early human speech exposure on infants' cognitive and social development.
  • To challenge the notion that speech offers no special cognitive advantages for infants.
  • To propose a new synthesis on the connection between speech and early cognition.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of developmental evidence on infant speech exposure.
  • Review of studies examining cognitive and social outcomes linked to early auditory experiences.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Synthesis of findings to support a broader role for speech in infant development.

    • Main Results:

    • Infants' exposure to human speech in the first year shapes fundamental cognitive and social capacities.
    • Speech exposure streamlines learning, aids object categorization, and signals communicative intent.
    • Listening to speech provides insights into others' mental states, enhancing social understanding.

    Conclusions:

    • Human speech plays a critical role in infant development, extending beyond language acquisition.
    • An early and powerful connection exists between speech and cognition, guiding psychological process development.
    • Infants' early experiences with speech significantly advance their acquisition of core psychological abilities.