UW News
Alexis Bosseler
April 8, 2024
Everyday social interactions predict language development in infants
![A woman sits with a baby facing her on her lap. The woman is talking to the baby using hand gestures. The baby is watching her.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/04/05162944/Unknown-150x150.jpeg)
In a study published April 8 in Current Biology, University of Washington researchers found that when the adult talked and played socially with a 5-month-old baby, the baby’s brain activity particularly increased in regions responsible for attention — and the level of this type of activity predicted enhanced language development at later ages.