Parents' 'um's' and 'uh's' help toddlers learn new words, cognitive scientists find
Thursday, April 14, 2011 - 12:21
in Psychology & Sociology
A team of cognitive scientists has good news for parents who are worried that they are setting a bad example for their children when they say "um" and "uh." A study conducted at the University of Rochester's Baby Lab shows that toddlers actually use their parents' stumbles and hesitations (technically referred to as disfluencies) to help them learn language more efficiently.