Introducing BITTSy: The Behavioral Infant & Toddler Testing System

Language preference in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris)

Studies have shown that both cotton-top tamarins as well as rats can discriminate between two languages based on rhythmic cues. This is similar to the capabilities of young infants, who also rely on rhythmic cues to differentiate between languages. However, the animals in these studies did not have long-term language exposure, so these studies did not specifically assess the role of language experience. In this study, we used companion dogs, who have prolonged exposure to human language in their home environment. These dogs came from homes where either English or Spanish was primarily spoken. The dogs were then presented with speech in English and in Spanish in a Headturn Preference Procedure paradigm to examine their language discrimination abilities as well as their language preferences. Dogs successfully discriminated between the two languages. In addition, dogs showed a novelty effect with their language preference such that Spanish-hearing dogs listened longer to English, and English-hearing dogs listened longer to Spanish. It is unclear what particular cue dogs are utilizing to discriminate between the two languages; future studies should explore dogs' utilization of phonological and rhythmic cues for language discrimination.

Webcams, Songs, and Vocabulary Learning: A Comparison of In-Person and Remote Data Collection as a Way of Moving Forward With Child-Language Research

This article evaluates a testing procedure for collecting eye-gaze data with toddlers and preschoolers during a word-learning task. We provide feasibility and precision data by comparing performance in an in-person version of the study (conducted under controlled conditions in the lab), with performance in a virtual version in which participants completed the testing procedure from home. Our data support the feasibility of collecting remote eye-gaze data with young children, and present it as a viable alternative for conducting developmental language research when in-person interactions with participants cannot take place. Additionally, we use this methodological approach to examine a topic that has gained popularity in recent years—the role of music and songs on vocabulary learning. We provide evidence suggesting that while songs may help increase attention during a particular task, greater attention does not lead to greater learning. In fact, preschoolers show improved word-learning performance for items that were trained in a spoken sentence compared to items that were trained in a song. This means that while songs may be beneficial for increasing child engagement, spoken sentences may be best for supporting deep level learning of language concepts.