Why do some kids learn to talk earlier than others?

Article Summary:

Harvard University associate professor of psychology Elika Bergelson uses LENA technology to study how infants and toddlers learn language from the world around them. She specifically strives to parse the various theories that account for the onset and eventual mastery of language comprehension and production. Her lab’s latest paper, published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, takes a global approach to developing and testing such theories, with the results refuting common critiques of low-income parents and caregivers.