Plasticity in Older Infants’ Perception of Non-Native Speech Sounds: The Role of Selective Attention in Context

Older infants exhibit decreased sensitivity to non-native phonemes (“perceptual narrowing”). Here 11-mo-olds were tested with promoters of attention (i.e., infant-directed speech, dynamic faces+voices, female and male speakers). Infants discriminated non-native phonemes, but only when presented by a female using IDS, highlighting the importance of context in speech perception.