Metcalf Infant Research Laboratory at Brown University

Here at the Metcalf Infant Research Laboratory, we are trying to find out! Babies can do some really amazing things:

In the first few days of life, they can recognize the sound patterns of their native language.
By 4 months, they can recognize their own names.
By 6 months, they associate the word "mommy" with their own mother.
Between 6 and 7 months, they begin to pull individual words out of the speech they hear.

But most importantly, before they learn to tie their own shoes, our children become experts

Since 1989, under the direction of Dr. James L. Morgan, we have been conducting research in Infant Speech Perception, in order to understand this amazing process. Over the years, we have been involved in a number of research projects - for example, how babies find the boundaries between words in speech (therearenospacesbetweenwordswhenwetalk) , what babies know about the individual sounds that make up the words of their language, and what kinds of properties of the speech they hear might be helpful in the learning process.

Our research relies on the generous participation of everyday parents who take time out of their lives to visit our lab with their infants and toddlers. Most of our studies involve one short visit (less than 30 minutes) to our lab, in which we measure your child's interest in sounds and words that are played through a speaker.

We are always looking for volunteers to participate in our studies!

Website designed by Lori Rolfe and Melanie Soderstrom, with a special thanks to Jennifer Culbertson. Website maintained by Lori Rolfe.