After ten months, they no longer seem to notice that contrast. Even though most infants are born with a sophisticated neurological capacity for speech, babies who hear lots of words will understand more words and perhaps begin to speak sooner. Chomsky's theory that language is inborn is valid, in Morgan's opinion, to a point. It is far more valuable, Morgan believes, to study babies directly, using highly controlled experiments. Methods and stimuli used to test the babies are constantly refined, and results aren't considered accurate until they're replicated by other researchers.
Babies know a lot more about language than anyone ever thought.
Researchers may one day be able to identify earlier those babies whose hearing or comprehension skills are not developing properly. Johan is living proof. Concluding the trial, Allard guesses that he lives in a bustling household with lots of talking, though she won't speculate whether the talking is directed at him during play or takes place in conversations that go on around him or on television. Those kinds of variables, along with more basic ones such as gender, race, and socioeconomic status, have yet to be explored in infant speech perception. It's hard to say, Morgan says.