Cognitive scientists at Ohio State University report that infants and young kids, unlike adults, are attracted more to sound than visuals in their environment:
(Vladimir) Sloutsky, who is also associate dean of research for the university's College of Human Ecology, said children probably pay more attention to sounds because of their temporary nature.
"If you don't pay attention to sounds, they disappear," he said. "On the other hand, many visual stimuli are stable and stationary. This preference for sounds makes sense in the case of learning language. If infants and young children didn't favor sounds, it is difficult to explain how they could pick up language."
