Babies can practice speech in their minds before they speak their first word. In a study conducted at the University of Washington, scientists scanned the brains of 7 and 11 month old babies. They found that speech sounds in different languages stimulate the superior temporal gyrus, an auditory region of the brain associated with language; the cerebellum, an area of the brain that helps control movement; the Broca’s area which is associated with speech, and other areas that play a role in planning motor skills needed for speech. The research suggests that babies mentally practice speech before they begin to talk. “Most babies babble by seven months, but don’t utter their first words until after their first birthdays,” said lead author Patricia Kuhl, professor of speech and hearing science at UW, in a press release. “Finding activation in motor areas of the brain when infants are simply listening is significant, because it means the baby brain is engaged in trying to talk back right from the start and suggests that seven-month-olds’ brains are already trying to figure out how to make the right movements that will produce words.” Read more about this study here: goo.gl/grmWnV
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 18:10:55 +0000
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