Talking Early to Infants Promotes Brain Development

Words play crucial role in the brain development of babies long before they are able to speak, according to the findings of psychologists from the Northwestern University, the US.

50 3-month-olds were shown pictures of fish. Babies in one group were told the meaning of pictures like, “Look at the tuna”. Babies in the other group heard sounds that were exactly matched to the phrases for tone and duration.  Then, the babies were shown pictures of the same fish and a dinosaur to observe how they would response. Those babies who were told the meaning of pictures were better at differentiating fish from dinosaurs.  Scientists say this demonstrates basic skills for forming object categories.

Researchers conclude that human speech draws attention of infants to surrounding objects, which promotes cognitive development. So make sure you start talking to your baby early while feeding, diapering or washing them to speed up their brain development.

Source of the image: sxc.hu/profile/simmbarb.