A new study by Indiana University finds the reason babies learn language so quickly is they process the context of words against thousands (or millions) of other variables. That's right. Wee brains act like computer data mining software.
In the past, young children were thought to learn one word at a time. But researchers tried a new approach with tots ages 12 to 14 months, where each child was shown two objects at a time while two words were read to them. No other clues were provided. After the series was shown, the children demonstrated they had learned most of the words.
How in the world did babies pick the right word to go with the right object? It seems children cross-reference the new images and sounds with the massive data they've already collected in their heads, match, sort, de-dupe, rule out dead ends, and pull up the relevant right answer. Like a massive computer crunching enormous data sets, the little minds spin and somehow learn reptile is like a snake.
Scientists believe adults continue to learn the same way, though at a slower pace, due to early mornings and weekend libations, no doubt. It backs up the thesis by marketing authors Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart, in What Sticks, that the most effective advertising campaigns are those in which messages hit the consumer from different angles. Three impressions from a billboard and newspaper ad and radio spot work better than three equal impressions just from the radio. The point for communicators is to note that every message you send forth enters the consumer's mind in the context of all prior communications. They may interpret it the way they see fit.
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