Clues Uncover Baby's First Words

[Angel]

A child's first word is a time for celebration, but have you ever wondered why they chose that word to say?

A recent study shows younger babies learn words for new objects based on how interested they are in the object, whereas older babies attach importance to the speaker's interest in the object.

Researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia studied the acquisition of language in the children under 1. The two-part study began by gauging whether 10-month-olds learn new words based on perceptual cues -- defined as what they, themselves, see and hear -- or based on social cues -- defined as what the person holding the object is doing and saying.

Results show perceptual cues are more important in this age group.

The second part of the study was conducted to confirm the infants were, indeed, attaching the word to the object in question.

The authors note this learning style differs significantly from the style used by older infants and children, who learn words based more on social clues. "While the pathway to early vocabulary must eventually be paved with social input … it does not start out that way," study authors say.

This research, they continue, emphasizes the importance of talking to young infants about the things they seem most interested in rather than about the things you may want them to know more about.