Alexis N Bosseler, Andrew N Meltzoff, Steven Bierer, Elizabeth Huber, Julia C Mizrahi, Eric Larson, Yaara Endevelt-Shapira, Samu Taulu, Patricia K Kuhl
In face-to-face interactions with infants, human adults exhibit a species-specific communicative signal. Adults present a distinctive "social ensemble": they use infant-directed speech (parentese), respond contingently to infants' actions and vocalizations, and react positively through mutual eye-gaze and smiling. Studies suggest that this social ensemble is essential for initial language learning. Our hypothesis is that the social ensemble attracts attentional systems to speech and that sensorimotor systems prepare infants to respond vocally, both of which advance language learning...
April 4, 2024: Current Biology: CB