In the past, scientists believed that newborns could only lie passively and cry.
However, a recent study published in the journal Nature Human Behavior has identified that newborns begin to engage with specific aspects of their surrounding world within hours, including the language they will eventually speak.
Newborns can learn language from the womb.
Newborns start learning language by listening to voices even while in the womb. However, at that stage, they cannot hear details clearly, as if they are submerged underwater.
The study involved Gary Oppenheim and Guillaume Thierry from the School of Human and Behavioral Sciences at Bangor University in the UK. The scientists observed newborns using a combination of natural vowels and reversed versions of sounds.
Using optical imaging, the team measured changes in the infants’ bodies. Meanwhile, recordings were played to see if the babies’ brains reacted differently. In the first test, the infants could not distinguish between normal vowels and their reversed versions.
However, after five hours, optical imaging showed that the infants’ brains began to differentiate between the two sounds. Two hours later, during a period when the newborns were mostly sleeping, exposure to the vowel contrasts triggered explosive neural connections. At that moment, neurons interacted broadly with one another, as if inspired by the audible sounds.
Guillaume Thierry, a professor of cognitive neuroscience, stated: “Our research shows that even a very slight difference is enough to trigger a significant increase in brain activity in newborns. This indicates that early experiences can have major consequences for cognitive development.”
Meanwhile, Gary Oppenheim, a psychology lecturer, shared: “When my son was born, I was amazed to see him immediately alert, eyes wide open, and looking around to immerse himself in information about his new environment.
The work that the ears and auditory system of newborns are doing is not apparent to the naked eye. However, this remarkable result shows that humans are significantly sensitive to language information right from birth.
Humans immediately develop to respond to experiences in the world, even when we seem to be merely sleeping.
