We have long proposed that infants figure out who and what to learn from by tuning into people and behaviors that are contingently responsive to infants’ own actions (in this case, babbling). This would explain how social behaviors, like language, are prioritized and rapidly learned over the many other sources of stimulation in infants’ environments. […]

We are happy to announce that the BABY Lab is now inviting families back into our playroom! When Cornell’s campus closed in March of 2020, we found new ways to ask questions about the development of communication and social learning. Since 2019, we published exciting work on how infants elicit simplified speech from their caregivers […]