Principal Investigator
Patricia Kuhl – University of Washington, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences
Project Description
Using a sample of 31 three-month-olds, the research team assessed infant heart rate during mother-infant face-to-face interaction in a laboratory setting. The team collected multiple measures of speech input at three months of age during naturally occurring interactions at home using the LENA system. These included infant-directed speech (IDS) and conversational turn-taking (CT). The research team also measured children’s language development at 30 months using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory.
Research Questions
- Are individual differences in infant heart rate, measured as a proxy for attention during mother-infant interaction, related to infants’ speech input at home at 3 months of age and their 30-month language development scores in longitudinal assessments?
Key Findings
Two novel findings emerged. First, the researchers found that higher maternal IDS in a 1:1 context at home, as well as more mother-infant CTs at home, were associated with a lower heart rate measured during mother-infant social interaction in the laboratory. Second, the team found significant associations between lower infant heart rate during mother-infant interaction in the laboratory at three months and prospective language development (CDI scores) at 30 months of age.
Study Citation
Endevelt-Shapira, Y., Bosseler, A. N., Zhao, T. C., Mizrahi, J. C., Meltzoff, A. N., & Kuhl, P. K. (2024). Heart-to-heart: infant heart rate at 3 months is linked to infant-directed speech, mother–infant interaction, and later language outcomes. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 18, 1380075.
The Key Findings above were reproduced from the published report and do not necessarily reflect interpretation of Overdeck Family Foundation staff.
