A couple of things stood out to me from Chapter 6 of our text:

The first is child-directed speech. The reason I found this part so interested is because so many times I have heard people talk about how annoying this "baby talk" is when they hear other people doing it. I have a very close friend that proclaimed she would absolutely NOT do this with her children, and I can honestly say, she hasn't! I found it so interesting that "child-directed speech fosters early language learning" (Berger, 2011). It makes sense when you think about it.
Skinner (1953) found that reinforcement is key in increasing the likelihood that a behavior would be repeated. Child-directed speech incorporates this concept, as well. A child says "ma-ma" or "da-da" and we naturally smile, get excited, clap for them, etc. So, we reinforce the child using language. We also include repetition when we want the child to use a certain word, like "ma-ma," by continuing to say it. As it turns out, kids like hearing us talk like freaks! And, it's also probably somewhat of innate thing that we do to engage them. I was always astounded by how engaged my daughter was with a family member who was also telling her old nursery rhymes she had memorized and singing to her. Since this was my first baby, I remember thinking "how does she know to do this all the time?" I also thing some of my daughter being so fascinated with her had to do with her "sing-songy" and high-pitched voice. Again, while it might be annoying to some, it is fascinating to me that these things facilitate learning.