Children - by Darylynn Starr Rank
March, 2006

A study came out in the news last week that I thought was both utterly fascinating and completely an “of course”.

If you’re interested, see Child Development, Vol. 77, Issue 2, The birth of words: Ten-month-olds learn words through perceptual salience, by Pruden SM (Temple University), Hirsh-Pasek K, Golinkoff RM (University of Delaware) and Hennon EA (University of Evansville).)

Fundamentally the study shows that nine month old babies learn words for new objects based on how interested they are in the object. 

So first of all, it’s true, very young babies understand way more than many of us think they do! They really are picking up language even at that very early age. 

And second, they are much better at learning words for objects they think are cool.

The researchers did the study by showing the babies ‘made-up’ objects, and taught them made-up names for the objects. The babies paid attention and learned the names for objects that were colourful and made noise or had moving parts. But they didn’t learn the names for the boring things. 

As I said, they learned the words for the objects they thought were cool.

What a thought. We learn more when we’re interested. We learn better when we care. If you want to teach a child something – adults, too, I’m sure – make it meaningful, or relevant, fun or interesting. How obvious, eh? 

But how often do we push the river instead. How often do we get frustrated and angry at children – and at ourselves – when they (or we) abandon boring, tedious, dull tasks for interesting ones; for activities that capture our imaginations? 

All too often, for example, we teach physics as vectors and laws and formulas all unto themselves, but having nothing to do with much of anything else in the real world. And how many high school students find it interesting??? Not many!  For most of us, physics was ‘ugh’! Well, imagine if you started off a course in physics with a really spectacular stereo system sitting at the front of the class (with a group of teenagers who have, of course, absolutely no interest in music….), and announce that that stereo system encompasses 80-90 percent of all the principles of physics!  (As, I’m assured, it does – optics, magnetism, thermodynamics, wave theory, you name it)

A bit more interesting, I bet!

A lecturer I heard once many years ago (sorry, I can’t remember her name) talked about “following your excitement”.  She referred to doing that as the best way to do your best work. To feel the most joy. And to give the most back to the universe. I’ve frequently referred back to that idea in my own life, with my clients, my students, my family and friends. 

As I said it seems like such an ‘of course’. And it is, I guess. If nine month old infants learn best when they’re interested, how can it be different for the rest of the children in the world -- all of us included!

Take care, all.

Darylynn Starr Rank (psychologist/writer) works part-time for Family Services of Greater Vancouver as a group facilitator. Her articles appear bi-weekly in The Record (New Westminster) and the Richmond Review.

Back to Article Index