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Early experience is not enough: Evidence from differences between heritage and host language trajectories
1Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University.
Developmental Psychology
|June 4, 2026
Summary
Early dual language exposure impacts bilingual development differently for each language. Home Spanish exposure is crucial for Spanish growth, while less English exposure at home predicts faster English vocabulary gains.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Bilingualism Research
- Child Language Acquisition
Background:
- The enduring effects of early experiences on development are not fully understood.
- Bilingual development in children from immigrant families presents unique challenges and opportunities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between early dual language exposure and subsequent bilingual development.
- To explore how family characteristics influence early language exposure and vocabulary growth.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 147 children (aged 3.5-12) from Spanish-speaking immigrant families in the US.
- Mediation analyses examined family characteristics, home language exposure, and vocabulary growth in Spanish and English.
- Assessed parents' age of immigration, mother's education, and presence of older siblings.
Main Results:
- Early home exposure to Spanish positively predicted Spanish vocabulary growth.
- Lower early home exposure to English was associated with faster subsequent English vocabulary growth.
- Differential environmental support (home vs. outside) explained these opposing trajectories.
Conclusions:
- Early experiences do not always create enduring foundational skills.
- The continuity of environmental support significantly shapes later language development.
- Bilingual development is influenced by the interplay of early exposure and ongoing environmental factors.
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