Getting May's head shrunk

Today we went to the Harvard Development Lab to have May included in one of their studies on how babies learn, think, and interact with the world.

The study was actually really interesting. May was shown a short film in which a woman appeared on the right side and said some inane happy peppy dialogue speaking in New England-accented English. Then another woman said the exact same thing with a heavy French accent. This is the fourth part of a study. Katie (the examiner) is studying whether babies connect more strongly with people speaking the same language/accent that they hear at home. (They do.)

What's fascinating is that babies can recognize their native languages this early! I mean, May is five month old and months away from speaking but already she knows the syntax, sounds, and rhythm of English.

The human mind is an amazing thing.

The coolest thing, however is that she got a spiffy t-shirt that says "Baby Scientist" and has the Harvard logo on it.

The ivy-league pressure begins!