Clarifying myths about early language development

Among the contributors are Dr. Christina Bergmann, guest researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, and Dr. Sho Tsuji, an alumna of our International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Language Sciences. They evaluated two myths regarding early language development.

Do girls talk earlier than boys?

This belief suggests a biological difference whereby girls develop language skills earlier than boys. While scientific data does show a small, statistically significant advantage for girls in building early vocabulary, Bergmann emphasises that this average effect tells us very little about individual children.

Figure 1.  Showing individual children’s vocabulary production scores. Source: de Mayo et al. (2021).

"Individual differences between children are far greater than these average gender effects, which only become visible when data from hundreds of babies is compiled," Bergmann explains.

Furthermore, the exact cause of this small statistical difference remains unclear, partly because developmental research relies on parental reports. If parents and caregivers believe the stereotype, this could influence how they report their child's vocabulary, or even how much they talk to their child.

This topic is closely connected to the current Dutch CDI (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories) project, which is led by Prof. Dr. Caroline Rowland, director of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. The project is currently creating a Dutch version of a widely used diagnostic tool for speech therapists, which involves gathering developmental data from families across the Netherlands.

Does early walking delay talking?

Another assumption is that physical milestones and language acquisition compete for a child's developmental resources, meaning that children who walk early might talk later. However, research shows a positive relationship between learning to walk and learning to talk.

"When a child learns to walk, a more complex environment opens up, increasing their control over what they are interacting with," Bergmann notes.

Rather than slowing down language development, physical independence provides new opportunities for communication. For example, a toddler can walk over to a toy car and point to get the desired response, such as hearing the word "car" in a sentence like "That is a car." The assumption that early walking delays talking is therefore not true.

The importance of evidence-based guidance

Relying on developmental stereotypes rather than scientific evidence can have practical consequences. For example, if parents and caregivers assume that an active child will naturally start talking later, they may wrongly attribute slower language development to physical strength. This can potentially lead to developmental or language delays being identified later than necessary.

"This underlines the importance of regular developmental check-ups, such as those at the Dutch consultatiebureau, and why evidence-based information on child’s development is essential for parents," says Bergmann. 

More information

• The book Kindheit: Was stimmt, was stimmt nicht? is now available through Beltz and local bookstores
• Read more about the CDI Project in the ‘Innovations Team Projects’ section here: Projects at the Language Development department