DIY tools TalkBox and SenseBox help people with disabilities to communicate
Scientists have developed DIY assistive technology prototypes that can help those with disabilities to communicate and interact with the world around them.... Read More...
communication
Speech could be older than we thought
Speech could have emerged earlier than the 200,000 years ago, long before current linguistic theory suggests.... Read More...
Young Children and Infants Read to By Parents Have Stronger Vocabulary Skills
Reading to infants and young children is associated with stronger vocabulary skills at age three. The findings reveal parents who read to children with genetic predispositions to learning and attention disorders help improve their language acquisition skills.... Read More...
Cats’ faces hard to read, except for ‘cat whisperers’
People can infer a cat's affective state from subtle aspects of their facial expressions.... Read More...
Humans’ ability to read dogs’ facial expressions is learned, not innate
The human ability to recognize the facial expressions of dogs is acquired through age and experience and is not an evolutionarily selected trait.... Read More...
Mechanisms of real-time speech interpretation in the human brain revealed
Study reveals the dynamic patterns of information flow between critical language regions of the brain.... Read More...
Teenagers less likely to respond to mothers with controlling tone of voice
Mothers who address their teens with a neutral tone of voice elicit more positive and less negative emotions in their children, increasing closeness. Those who speak with a controlling tone evoke negative emotions and have a less close bond with their teenage child.... Read More...
Babbling babies’ behavior changes parents’ speech
Parents unconsciously modify their speech to include fewer unique words, shorter sentences, and one-word replies when their baby babbles, but not when they are simply speaking to the baby.... Read More...
Recursive language and modern imagination were acquired simultaneously 70,000 years ago
A mathematical model suggests a genetic mutation which extended the critical period by slowing prefrontal cortex development in two or more children 70,000 years ago was one factor for the emergence of recursive language and modern imagination. ... Read More...
Team IDs Spoken Words and Phrases in Real Time from Brain’s Speech Signals
Using ECoG and machine learning, researchers decoded spoken words and phrases in real-time from brain signals that control speech. The technology could eventually be used to help those who have lost vocal control to regain their voice.... Read More...
Screams contain a ‘calling card’ for the vocalizer’s identity
Listeners can correctly identify whether pairs of screams originate from the same person or two different people. Findings suggest human screams convey a level of individual identity and shed new light on their evolutionary origin.... Read More...
Can Facebook improve your mental health?
Contrary to popular belief, using social media sites like Facebook can actually help improve mental health in adults. Researchers found adults who use Facebook regularly are 63% less likely to experience psychological distress, such as depression and anxiety, over time.... Read More...