LAPlab investigates the process of learning a language and how speaking several languages delays the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. (Autor: Aiora Madariaga Bilbao)
Before we are born, we are already surrounded by language, but how do we acquire it? How do we go from babbling to communicating complex ideas? These are the questions that the Language Acquisition and Processing Lab (LAPlab) at the University of Deusto, directed by Irene de la Cruz Pavía, a researcher at Deusto and Ikerbasque, is trying to answer. This laboratory, inaugurated on 20 March, studies how we learn, process, and conserve language throughout life.
LAPlab grew out of its director’s career, which focuses on the study of language processing at different life stages. Her team, made up of researchers and students, designs experiments and analyses data using techniques such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG). Their work ranges from infant acquisition to linguistic ageing, to share the results in scientific conferences and publications, and also with society.
One of his main areas of interest is childhood. Recent research shows that children understand complex structures before they can reproduce them and that babbling, far from being random noise, is essential training. According to De la Cruz Pavia, the earlier a child is exposed to a second language, the better: not only does it facilitate later learning, but it also appears to have protective effects against cognitive decline in old age.
Bilingualism, according to several studies, could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s and improve recovery after a stroke. However, not all bilingual people have the same profile, and factors such as the age of acquisition or the relative mastery of each language influence their effects. In collaboration with the Gogo Elebiduna group (UPV/EHU) and the University of Aizu (Japan), the LAPlab carries out experiments with monolingual and bilingual speakers from the Basque Country, using tasks such as fragmented reading to analyse linguistic processing patterns.
The lab is also investigating how we age with language, studying, for example, whether seeing the speaker’s face helps to compensate for hearing loss in the elderly. The ultimate goal is to improve teaching methods, detect language disorders early, and promote healthy ageing. For De la Cruz Pavía, understanding language is, in short, a better understanding of human nature.
