Using a patented, scaled-down skateboard called 鈥楯oey鈥�, the McGill Babylab Crawl-To-Listen project is trying to demonstrate that infants recognize familiar and unfamiliar languages at the early crawling stage. Studies have shown that early crawling behaviour is not just reflexive, but that babies intentionally move their bodies towards their own goal.听
Babies process language through a combination of innate abilities and environmental exposure. Their brains are primed for language acquisition from birth, with billions of neurons ready to form complex pathways for language processing. Babies can distinguish between hundreds of phonemes (basic sound units) from all languages. As they grow, their brains strengthen connections for the sounds they frequently hear.听听
Past studies on infant language processing have relied on sucking behaviour using a pacifier, but that research has become challenging because it often involves a trip to the hospital, and today, healthcare providers avoid introducing pacifiers to promote breastfeeding, says lab director Linda Polka, PhD, Professor at the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders. 鈥淚鈥檝e been interested in having an alternative method that takes advantage of a natural behaviour that babies engage in.鈥� The project involves infants between one and two months old with language exposure to English, French, or both.听听
Crawl-To-Listen will test and compare infants from monolingual and bilingual families. A structure resembling a small-scale skateboard park sits upon a tabletop protected by padded walls with a loudspeaker positioned at the end of the table. After six small sensors are attached to the baby鈥檚 legs and back to measure muscle activity, the baby is placed on the skateboard. With the support of the head and upper body provided by Joey, even newborns can crawl. The attendant plays three different languages for two minutes each. The baby hears several sentences each in French, English and Mandarin, spoken by the same person in an engaging infant-friendly manner. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to see if the babies are going to respond differently to a language that they are familiar with versus one that they鈥檙e not. By having these different groups, we can see whether babies are actually responding differently to the languages based on their own experience with that language,鈥� explains Priscilla Ferronato, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the School.听
Joey also has clinical applications, for example, it is used with newborns who are at risk for sensorimotor development, such as premature babies, as a way to promote motor development. 鈥淭his motor experience creates more connections in the brain which helps babies learn to use their bodies to achieve important motor milestones such as sitting, reaching and walking,鈥� says Prof. Polka.听听
Crawl-To-Listen is funded by the McGill Centre for Research in Brain, Language & Music (CRBLM) and the Montreal Bilingualism Initiative (MOBI). Collaborators include Simone Falk, Simone Dalla Bella, and David McFarland from Universit茅 de Montr茅al, and Krista Byers-Heinlein from Concordia University.听
The study is currently underway. 鈥淲e鈥檙e collecting data now,鈥� Prof. Polka says, 鈥淲e鈥檙e actively looking for parents to bring their babies in to come join the study. It鈥檚 a little challenging because we want to catch babies between one to two months old.鈥� Testing will continue into March 2025. Free parking and compensation of $20 for each baby are provided, and of course, a diploma. Researchers encourage parents to choose a time they think is usually good for the baby.听
鈥淔or parents who participate, I think it鈥檚 a nice opportunity for them to learn more about their child鈥檚 motor, speech, and perceptual development. They are usually surprised with their baby鈥檚 skills and this often impacts the opportunities they offer to their infant in their early-day routines,鈥� Prof. Polka says.听
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