Grantee: I-LABS
Study Type: Longitudinal descriptive study
Principal Investigator: Patricia Kuhl – University of Washington, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences
Project Description: This is a descriptive study examining associations between adult-child social interactions in the first three months of life—specifically maternal sensitivity, infant-directed speech (IDS), and conversational turn-taking (CT)—and children’s later language development. The team observed 40 three-month-old infants during a structured mother-child interaction and used a validated coding scheme to measure maternal sensitivity at three months. The team concurrently used LENA technology to measure naturally occurring interactions at home (specifically IDS and CT), also at three months. Parents then reported on children’s language outcomes from 18 to 30 months using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory.
Key Findings: Maternal sensitivity at three months was significantly associated with infants’ productive language scores at 18, 21, 24, 27, and 30 months of age. LENA-recorded IDS during mother-infant 1:1 interaction in the home environment at three months of age was positively correlated with productive language scores at 24, 27, and 30 months of age. Finally, mother-infant CTs during 1:1 interaction was significantly associated with infants’ productive language scores at 27 and 30 months of age. The research team argues that this study provides further evidence that infants’ social attention to speech during this early period—enhanced by sensitive maternal one-on-one interactions and IDS—are potent factors in advancing language development.
Study Citation: Endevelt-Shapira, Y., Bosseler, A. N., Mizrahi, J. C., Meltzoff, A. N., & Kuhl, P. K. (2024). Mother–infant social and language interactions at 3 months are associated with infants’ productive language development in the third year of life. Infant Behavior and Development, 75, 101929.
Full report here.
The Key Findings above were reproduced from the published report and do not necessarily reflect interpretation of Overdeck Family Foundation staff.
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