http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/language_acquisition/ Read about language acquisition in humans and animals. You will find research articles on everything from birds that learn grammar to the invention of new devices to aid human speech. en-us Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:05:01 EDT Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/language_acquisition/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821164609.htm A group has demonstrated software that for the first time enables deaf and hard of hearing Americans to use sign language over a mobile phone. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821164609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080818185209.htm Knowing the words for numbers is not necessary to be able to count, according to new research. The study of the aboriginal children -- from two communities which do not have words or gestures for numbers -- found that they were able to copy and perform number-related tasks. The findings suggest that we possess an innate mechanism for counting, which may develop differently in children with dyscalculia. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080818185209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814154429.htm A new study detects a systematic link between children's "theory of mind" as assessed in kindergarten and their metacognitive knowledge in elementary school. Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814154429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813110453.htm Researchers have demonstrated how much the brain can learn simply through active exposure to many different kinds of music. “More and more labs are showing that people have the sensitivity for skills that we thought were only expert skills,” Henkjan Honing (UvA) explains. “It turns out that mere exposure makes an enormous contribution to how musical competence develops.” Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813110453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080805214404.htm New research has shown that exposure to a changed acoustic and social environment can rewire the way the brain processes sounds. Study of the responses of individual brain cells has shown that they respond best to a particular frequency (pitch) of sound, less well to nearby frequencies, and poorly to distant sound frequencies. Sat, 09 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080805214404.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080805124056.htm A new brain imaging study of dyslexic students and other poor readers shows that the brain can rewire itself and overcome reading deficits, if students are given 100 hours of intensive remedial instruction. The study shows that the remedial instruction resulted in a brain activity increase in cortical regions associated with reading, and that neural gains solidified further during the year following instruction. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080805124056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806140209.htm Individuals with synesthesia, or cross-activated senses, perceive the world differently from others, with some perceiving numbers or letters as having colors or days of the week as possessing personalities. Now, researchers have discovered a type of synesthesia in which individuals hear sounds when they see things move or flash. The scientists say auditory synesthesia, which had never been identified, may represent an enhanced form of how the brain normally processes visual information. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806140209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804222910.htm Metabolic changes responsible for the evolution of our unique cognitive abilities indicate that the brain may have been pushed to the limit of its capabilities. Research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology adds weight to the theory that schizophrenia is a costly by-product of human brain evolution. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804222910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801094304.htm Researchers from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute are set to conduct a world-first trial into the link between prenatal vitamin D levels and schizophrenia prevalence. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801094304.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730140837.htm From nursery rhymes to Shakespearian sonnets, alliterations have always been an important aspect of poetry whether as an interesting aesthetic touch or just as something fun to read. But a new study suggests that this literary technique is useful not only for poetry but also for memory. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730140837.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080728192805.htm Hearing loss may be more prevalent in American adults than previously reported, according to a study in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080728192805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717225716.htm Researchers have developed an intelligent computational model of the descriptive grammar of the Spanish language. This opens up new possibilities for the computational representation of languages and natural language processing applications. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717225716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720212354.htm Alzheimer's patients showed rapid improvement in language within minutes of a novel immune-based treatment. A new article provides preliminary evidence that the disrupted neural communication seen in Alzheimer's disease may be reversible. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720212354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717211651.htm Neuroscientists have found that a previously unsuspected set of genes links nature and nurture during a crucial period of brain development. The findings could lead to treatments for autism and other disorders thought to be tied to brain changes that occur when the developing brain is very susceptible to inputs from the outside world. Nature -- in the form of genes -- and nurture -- in the form of environmental influences -- are fundamentally intertwined during this period. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717211651.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714111940.htm An Amazonian language with only 300 speakers has no word to express the concept of "one" or any other specific number, according to a new study from an MIT-led team. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714111940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715071432.htm Research conducted among 380 high school students from Asian and Latin American immigrant families revealed that many adolescents change the labels used to describe themselves from year to year. Teens that grew up in immigrant families largely chose hyphenated labels (e.g. Mexican-American). First-generation teens (born outside of the US) more often chose a national origin label (e.g. Chinese). The findings underscore that adolescence is a time of changing identification with American society for immigrant teens. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715071432.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710161821.htm The sound of a noisy Chicago restaurant during the breakfast rush -- the clang of plates and silverware and the clamor of many voices -- was the crucial test of new hearing aid technology in a study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study showed that the hearing aids worked well in a noisy environment -- the most challenging test for a hearing aid. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710161821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708200645.htm Music can soothe the savage breast much better if played by musicians rather than clever computers, according to a new study. Neuroscientists looked at the brain's response to piano sonatas played either by a computer or a musician and found that, while the computerized music elicited an emotional response -- particularly to unexpected chord changes - it was not as strong as listening to the same piece played by a professional pianist. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708200645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709110053.htm Current interactive systems enable users to communicate with computers in many ways, but not taking into account emotional communication. A Ph.D. thesis puts forward the use of avatars or virtual Internet personages as an efficient form of non-verbal communication, principally focusing on emotional aspects. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709110053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630173943.htm The mind apparently has a consistent way of ordering an event that defies the order in which subjects, verbs and objects typically appear in languages. Although speakers of different languages describe events using the word orders prescribed by their language, when the same speakers are asked to "speak" with their hands and not their mouths, they ignore these orders -- they all use exactly the same order when they gesture. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630173943.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703101320.htm A woman in southern Ontario is one of the first cases in Canada of a rare neurological syndrome in which a person starts speaking with a different accent, researchers reported in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703101320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630093618.htm Despite much research on acquisition of languages amongst monolingual persons, scientists still have to ask themselves basic questions about bilingual acquisition: How do babies realize that they are in a bilingual environment? What are the clues for them in discovering this? How is discrimination between languages produced in infants? The aim of new research is to find out how the brain acquires and manages languages and to discover in what way languages being similar or different is influential in this process. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630093618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625140632.htm People who are bicultural and speak two languages may actually shift their personalities when they switch from one language to another, according to new research. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625140632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624120000.htm Devices known as brain-machine interfaces could someday be used routinely to help paralyzed patients and amputees control prosthetic limbs with just their thoughts. Now researchers have taken the concept a step further, devising a way for computerized devices not only to translate brain signals into movement but also to evolve with the brain as it learns. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624120000.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619203301.htm Researchers have determined that there are hundreds of biological differences between the sexes when it comes to gene expression in the cerebral cortex of humans and other primates. These findings indicate that some of these differences arose a very long time ago and have been preserved through evolution. These conserved differences constitute a signature of sex differences in the brain. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619203301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619105140.htm In the internet world of sites, pages, lounges and whatever else is out there, most of us have found ourselves 'lost in hyperspace', a frustrating experience of having lost track of where we are, where we're going, or where to find what we're looking for. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619105140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617204519.htm A new study offers a potential predictive technique to anticipate how individuals might behave during a psychotic episode. The study related the brain activity of healthy participants to how they behaved after exposure to ketamine (a psychosis-inducing drug that mimics schizophrenia symptoms). The findings help explain why schizophrenia symptoms vary greatly from person to person and may ultimately help personalize diagnosis and intervention. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617204519.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612150144.htm Experts explain how and why we find things funny and identify the reason humor is common to all human societies, its fundamental role in the evolution of homo sapiens and its continuing importance in the cognitive development of infants. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612150144.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612185428.htm Scientists have identified brain patterns that help healthy older people regulate and control emotion better than their younger counterparts. The study identified two regions in the brain that showed increased activity when participants over the age of 60 were shown standardized pictures of emotionally challenging situations. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612185428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611103900.htm A new brain imaging study of poor readers found that 100 hours of remedial instruction not only improved the skills of struggling readers, but also changed the way the parietotemporal regions of their brains activated when they comprehended written sentences. This was the first brain imaging study in which children were tested on their understanding of sentences, not just on recognition of single words. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611103900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611071033.htm Children in US households where English is not the primary language experience multiple disparities in health care. Non-English primary language children were more likely to be overweight, have only fair or poor dental health, and be uninsured or sporadically insured. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611071033.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080606130201.htm European researchers have made it easy for software developers to build educational tools that let pupils collaborate to see, hear -- and now also feel -- what is on the computer screen. When you think of the solar system you probably picture a textbook diagram: nine planets, different sizes and colors, all circling the bright yellow sun. But how can a visually impaired child take in this information? How can they grasp how the solar system works? Mon, 09 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080606130201.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604160118.htm It is important to identify the endophenotypes -- traits associated with a clinical disorder -- that can serve as a roadmap for detecting disease-related genes. That is why researchers are studying families to detect relatives who are carriers of the genes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, even though these individuals don't have the diseases themselves. Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604160118.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604195431.htm Natural spoken dialogue technology has long been a dream for many. Advances by European researchers are making this a reality. The results of their work could soon be used to allow us to verbally interact with technology in our everyday lives, from the music systems in our cars to functions in the homes of wheelchair users. Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604195431.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602155657.htm Investigators have explored the inability to express emotions (alexithymia) in panic disorder in an article in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. In patients with panic disorder (PD), the difficulty to identify and manage emotional experience might contribute to the enduring vulnerability to panic attacks. Such a difficulty might reflect a dysfunction of fronto-temporo-limbic circuits. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that drug-free patients with PD, as compared with healthy subjects (HS), show a higher prevalence of alexithymia, greater difficulty in emotional stimuli processing and poorer performance on neuropsychological tests exploring the activity of fronto-temporo-limbic circuits. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602155657.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529141354.htm Scientists have taken an important step toward understanding how the human brain codes the meanings of words by creating the first computational model that can predict the unique brain activation patterns associated with names for things that you can see, hear, feel, taste or smell. The model predicts brain activation patterns for thousands of concrete nouns. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529141354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080531084958.htm The notion that talking on a cell phone while driving a car isn't safe seems obvious, yet what happens in the brain while it juggles the two tasks is not. A new study provides a better understanding of why language -- talking and listening, including on a cell phone -- interferes with visual tasks, such as driving. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080531084958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529141357.htm A new study has transformed scientists' understanding of Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes autistic behavior and other disabling symptoms. Until now, scientists thought that the gene behind Rett syndrome was an "off" switch, or repressor, for other genes. But the new study, published today in Science, shows that it is an "on" switch for a startlingly large number of genes. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529141357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529141344.htm The ability to map numbers onto a line is universal. But for an Amazonian tribe, this mapping is not linear but logarithmic. The finding illuminates both the nature and the limits of the human predisposition to measurement, a foundation for science, engineering, and much of our modern culture. Fri, 30 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529141344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527201829.htm Childhood exposure to lead is associated with shrinking of specific parts of the brain in adulthood, finds a new study. Scientists studied the association between exposure to lead in the uterus and during early childhood and brain volume in adulthood. Wed, 28 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527201829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520161340.htm Instant messaging. Blogs. Wikis. Social networking sites. Cell phones. All of these allow us to communicate with each other--wherever, whenever. Many people speculate that online and mobile technologies have widely impacted written language, especially that of teenagers and young adults. But a linguistics expert says that surprisingly, this probably isn't so. Sat, 24 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520161340.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520212057.htm Children who can read and have good phonetic skills - the ability to recognize the individual sounds within words -- may still be poor spellers, a study of primary school children has shown. Researchers show that this subgroup of poor spellers is more likely to be right handed than other poor spellers. Wed, 21 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520212057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519104624.htm Researchers from Finland and USA have identified one major and several potential loci associated with musical aptitude in the human genome. The results raise an interesting question about common evolutionary background of music and language faculties. Mon, 19 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519104624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516094416.htm In the wake of divorce, illness, violence and other problems that can unsettle homes, countless young children are liable to experience temporary separations from one or both parents before packing their knapsacks for kindergarten. Researchers warn that such kids are at increased risk for learning difficulties. Sun, 18 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516094416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092610.htm New research findings from the world's largest study on language emergence have revealed that one in four late-talking toddlers continue to have language problems by age seven. Fri, 16 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092610.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101713.htm As cars become entertainment centers and data-gathering devices, the amount of information they're collecting about you is rapidly growing. And guess who might be interested? Insurance companies, advertisers, government agencies, your boss and perhaps your spouse. On the other hand, say researchers, an intelligent car with a caring voice might persuade humans to drive more safely. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515073026.htm New research has found that minimum standards of quality in early education classrooms, including teachers' level of education and field of study, class size, and child-to-teacher ratio were not directly related to children's learning and social development. The research was conducted among 2,349 4-year olds enrolled in 671 pre-kindergarten classrooms in 11 states. The findings suggest that focusing on high quality instructional and emotional interactions within pre-K classrooms has the potential to improve children's development. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515073026.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512163859.htm Multiple sclerosis typically starts in young adulthood, but about five percent of cases start in childhood or the teen years. Children with MS are at risk to exhibit low IQ scores and problems with memory, attention and other thinking skills, according to a new study in Neurology. Tue, 13 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512163859.htm