Objects can make babies talk more: A new study

A recent study delved into what encourages babies to engage in "baby talk."

The research discovered that infants are more inclined to use these early speech sounds, called protophones, when interacting with artificial objects instead of natural ones.

Let's find out more.

Testing baby talk

This investigation focused on kids aged 4 to 18 months and observed their vocalizations while using toys and household items, contrasting their behavior when engaging with natural objects like sticks and leaves.

The findings showed that toddlers produced significantly more baby talk when playing with human-made items, particularly household items, demonstrating a stronger attraction to them.

Natural objects appeared less likely to encourage kids to produce these sounds.

The experiment also examined infants' social gazing behavior during interactions with various objects.

When using natural objects, kids gazed more frequently at their mothers.

Why it's important

This research implies that object-based communication is not unique to humans.

Similar behaviors have been observed in chimpanzees, underscoring the importance of object-based signals in communication across different species.
 

• Related news:
• research
• children
• speech
• development
• 22 October 2023

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