Babies whose caretakers are masked will miss some of these visual cues, and it’s possible, Dr. Lewkowicz said, that young children may have some trouble sorting out who goes with which voice. “Masks are not a great thing for communication in young kids,” Dr. Lewkowicz said. And there is opportunity to be creative, and to help children take full advantage of the information that they do get. Eva Chen, a developmental psychologist who is an associate professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, focuses her research on children’s cognitive development with respect to social groups. “I am a huge believer in the importance of plasticity” — or adaptability — “in early development,” Dr. Lewkowicz said.

Source: New York Times September 14, 2020 09:00 UTC