JUST LIKE DRIVING A CARAcoustic map

JUST LIKE DRIVING A CAR
Acoustic maps are pools of interconnected brain cells that an infant brain constructs to allow it to decode language both quickly and automatically—and well-formed maps allow faster and more accurate processing of language, a function that is critical to optimal cognitive functioning.

Benasich says babies of this particular age may be ideal for this kind of training.

“If you shape something while the baby is actually building it,” she says, “it allows each infant to build the best possible auditory network for his or her particular brain. This provides a stronger foundation for any language (or languages) the infant will be learning.

“Compare the baby’s reactions to language cues to an adult driving a car. You don’t think about specifics like stepping on the gas or using the turn signal. You just perform them. We want the babies’ recognition of any language-specific sounds they hear to be just that automatic.”