Duration: 55 minutes
Status: Now available on demand

Join Dr. Steve Hannon, President of LENA, for a compelling conversation with Dr. Rachel Romeo, lead author of a groundbreaking study from Harvard and MIT exploring the neural mechanisms behind conversational turns and brain development.

Published in Psychological Science, the study used a combination of LENA technology and fMRI imaging to examine how children’s language environments shape brain activity. Notably, the findings show that only conversational turns—not just the number of adult words—predicted improved verbal scores, even after controlling for parental education and socioeconomic status.

This session deepens understanding of why responsive, back-and-forth interaction is so powerful, and how these insights can be used to support parents, caregivers, and educators.

Panelists:

Looking for a broader overview?
Watch The Power of Conversational Turns webinar for a panel discussion featuring Drs. Rachel Romeo and Jill Gilkerson, moderated by Shannon Rudisill of the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative.