Chapter 1
The superpower of the growing brain
Chapter 2
Learning through play and fearlessness
Chapter 3
The social secret of baby talk
Chapter 4
Unlocking the adult brain's hidden advantages
Ch 1 · The superpower of the growing brain
duolingo Under the Critical Period Hypothesis, rapid neuroplasticity builds childhood neural pathways that naturally slow down as we age.
BETA
duolingo Match speech sounds to discover how the growing brain absorbs new languages effortlessly.
duolingo Synaptic pruning deletes neural pathways for unfamiliar sounds by twelve months.
Quiz
According to research, infants under what age can distinguish all 800 phonemes used in human languages?
Quiz
What is the biological process that eliminates unused neural pathways in a child's brain?
Quiz
Which brain scanning technology revealed that bilingual children store languages in a single region?
Fun Fact
Baby brain power: Newborn babies can distinguish their mother's native language from a foreign language just hours after birth by recognizing its rhythmic patterns.
duolingo Physical Accent Advantage
Flexible speech maps (flexible speech maps), Shape the tongue and lips with ease.
Quiz
Around what age do a child's speech motor habits typically become set, making native accents harder to acquire?
Quiz
How does a child's larynx differ physically from an adult's, aiding early sound mimicry?
Glossary
neuroplasticity (noun)
The ability of the brain to adapt and reorganize its structure in response to learning or experience. In a 2012 Lund University study, intensive language training physically grew the brains of Swedish military recruits.
The ability of the brain to adapt and reorganize its structure in response to learning or experience. In a 2012 Lund University study, intensive language training physically grew the brains of Swedish military recruits.