title: Linguistic experience alters phonetic perception in infants by 6 months of age.
abstract: Linguistic experience affects phonetic perception. However, the critical period during which experience affects perception and the mechanism responsible for these effects are unknown. This study of 6-month-old infants from two countries, the United States and Sweden, shows that exposure to a specific language in the first half year of life alters infants' phonetic perception.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Kuhl
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lacerda
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lindblom
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007802:Language; D010699:Phonation; D013060:Speech; D013548:Sweden; D014481:United States