What This Document Is
These are lecture notes from Emory University’s PSYC 205: Child Development course, covering speech and sound development in infants from May 31st to June 7th. The notes explore how infants learn language, focusing on the characteristics of speech directed towards babies (infant-directed speech) and how infants categorize sounds. It examines experimental research investigating infant preferences and perceptual abilities related to speech.
Why This Document Matters
This document is valuable for students enrolled in Child Development or related psychology courses. It’s particularly useful when studying the foundational stages of language acquisition and the perceptual mechanisms that underpin it. These notes provide a concentrated overview of key research and concepts discussed in lectures during this specific timeframe, serving as a study aid and a refresher on core topics.
Common Limitations or Challenges
These notes represent a snapshot of lecture content and do not substitute for full course materials, textbook readings, or independent research. The notes are not a comprehensive guide to all aspects of language development, and further exploration of the topics is recommended. They also do not include any practice questions or assignments.
What This Document Provides
This document includes:
* An overview of the differences between adult-directed and infant-directed speech, including the Fernald experiment and the head-turn preference paradigm.
* Discussion of how features of infant-directed speech (pitch, smoothness, emotional expression) may aid language acquisition.
* An introduction to speech sound categorization, including voiced and voiceless sounds.
* Summaries of experiments by Ismus and Werker investigating infant sound perception and the development of categorical perception.
* Insights into how infants’ ability to discriminate non-native sounds changes over time.
