scholarly journals Maternal mind-mindedness and communicative functions in free-play and mealtime contexts: Stability, continuity and relations with child language at 16 months

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Emiddia LONGOBARDI ◽  
Pietro SPATARO ◽  
Martina CALABRÒ
Keyword(s):  
Control Function ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Expressive Language ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Communicative Functions ◽  
Mothers And Children ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Language Measures ◽  
Play Context

Abstract The present study aimed at investigating the contextual stability, the contextual continuity and the concurrent associations between maternal measures (general language, communicative functions and mind-mindedness) and child measures (total number of word types and tokens) in two different contexts, free-play and mealtime. To this purpose, the interactions occurring between 25 mothers and their 16-month-old children in each context were video-recorded, transcribed and later coded for the selected measures. Significant contextual stability was observed in the mothers’ production of general language measures (total number of utterances, total number of words and MLU), in the children's production of word types and tokens, and in some communicative functions (Tutorial, Control and Asynchronous). No contextual stability was found for the mothers’ production of attuned mind-related comments. For continuity, both mothers and children produced more utterances and words in the free-play than in the mealtime context; the production of attuned mind-related comments and the use of the Control function were also more frequent in the free-play context. Lastly, the analysis of the concurrent correlations indicated that, especially in the mealtime context, the number of words produced by children was positively associated with the number of words produced by mothers and by their use of the Tutorial and Didactic functions, but negatively associated with their use of the Control function. The mothers’ production of attuned mind-related comments bore no relation with children's expressive language. Similarities and differences with previous findings are discussed.

Alternative explanations for the relationship between maternal verbal interaction style and child language development

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Yoder ◽  
Ann P. Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Pragmatic Language ◽  
Influence Model ◽  
Language Measures ◽  
Stage 1 ◽  
Maternal Speech

ABSTRACTThe present study analysed formerly unexamined indirect routes for relationships between time 1 maternal speech and later child language development. Ten normally developing children in Brown's early stage 1 and their mothers were the subjects. For each dyad, two free-play sessions occurring five months apart were videotaped in the subjects' homes. Mothers' pragmatic language use was coded from time 1 sessions. Child language level was coded at both sessions. Even though time 1 scores of the outcome were controlled, seven of the ten relationships involving mother speech and child language development were indirectly related through one of two time 1 child language measures. The results indicate that a mother-driven, direct influence model may be inappropriate for many mother speech–child language development relationships. We argue that child-driven and mother-driven explanatory models for the indirect relationships are equally feasible.

Parents' child-directed communication and child language development: a longitudinal study with Italian toddlers

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 836-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARINELLA MAJORANO ◽  
CHIARA RAINIERI ◽  
PAOLA CORSANO
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Peabody Picture Vocabulary ◽  
Communicative Functions ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Quantitative Characteristics ◽  
Psycholinguistic Norms ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Language Characteristics

ABSTRACTThe present study focuses on the characteristics of parental child-directed communication and its relationship with child language development. For this purpose, thirty-six toddlers (18 males and 18 females) and their parents were observed in a laboratory during triadic free play at ages 1 ; 3 and 1 ; 9. The characteristics of the maternal and paternal child-directed language (characteristics of communicative functions and lexicon as reported in psycholinguistic norms for Italian language) were coded during free play. Child language development was assessed during free play and at ages 2 ; 6 and 3 ; 0 using the Italian version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (2 ; 6) and the revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-R) (3 ; 0). Data analysis indicated differences between mothers and fathers in the quantitative characteristics of communicative functions and language, such as the mean length of utterances (MLU), and the number of tokens and types. Mothers also produced the more frequent nouns in the child lexicon. There emerged a relation between the characteristics of parental child-directed language and child language development.

Speaking of State of Mind: Maternal Mental Health Predicts Children's Home Language Environment and Expressive Language

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Brandon Neil CLIFFORD ◽  
Laura A. STOCKDALE ◽  
Sarah M. COYNE ◽  
Vanessa RAINEY ◽  
Viridiana L. BENITEZ
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Maternal Depression ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Expressive Language ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Children's Home ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Home Language Environment

Abstract Maternal depression and anxiety are potential risk factors to children's language environments and development. Though existing work has examined relations between these constructs, further work is needed accounting for both depression and anxiety and using more direct measures of the home language environment and children's language development. We examined 265 mother-infant dyads (49.6% female, Mage = 17.03 months) from a large city in the Western United States to explore the relations between self-reports of maternal depression and anxiety and observational indices of the home language environment and expressive language as captured by Language Environment Analysis (LENA) and parent-reported language comprehension and production. Results revealed maternal depressive symptoms to be negatively associated with home language environment and expressive language indices. Maternal anxiety symptoms were found to be negatively associated with children's parent-reported language production. These findings provide further evidence that maternal mental health modulates children's home language environments and expressive language.

Phonetic, Phonological, and Language Skills of Children with a Cleft Palate

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 460-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Morris ◽  
Anne Ozanne
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Cleft Palate ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Expressive Language ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Language Measures

Objective To evaluate the language, phonetic, and phonological skills at age 3 years of two groups of young children with a cleft palate, with different expressive language proficiency at 2 years of age. Design Two groups of children with a cleft palate with differing abilities in early expressive language skills were identified at age 2 years. Comparisons across groups were made over a range of speech and language measures at age 3 years. Participants Twenty children with cleft palate were allocated to two groups dependent on expressive language abilities at age 2 years. One group had normal language development, and the second group had been identified as having significantly delayed (8 to 12 months’ delay) expressive language development. Main Outcome Measures The children were assessed at 3 years of age using standardized assessments and spontaneous speech samples. Comparisons between the two groups were made on a range of language measures including comprehension, expressive language, and speech. Results Group differences were found on both language and speech abilities at age 3 years. Significant group differences were found in expressive language, percentage of consonants correct, phonetic inventory, and phonological process usage. The group with delayed early expressive language abilities at 2 years continued to have expressive language difficulties at 3 years of age and had more disordered speech development, compared with the nondelayed group. Conclusions A subgroup of children with a cleft palate was identified who exhibited delays in early expressive language and continued to have delayed language and disordered phonological patterns at a later age. Support for three possible etiologies including a structural/anatomical deficit, cognitive/linguistic delay, or language/phonological disorder are discussed.

The Number Language used by Preschool Children and their Mothers in the Context of Cooking

1996 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Young-Loveridge
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Number Word ◽  
Word Use ◽  
Number Words ◽  
Degree Of Control ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Play Context

The present study was designed to explore the spontaneous use of number language by preschool children and their mothers in the context of cooking. The results show that preschool children use a variety of number words in this context. Mothers made substantially greater use of number words than did their children, possibly because the cooking context required a greater degree of control by the adult than would have been the case in a free-play context. Many instances of number-word use by mothers and by children went unacknowledged by their conversational partners. Although the relationship between children's number word use and that of their mothers was relatively weak (r=.34), there was a considerably stronger relationship between the numbers of reciprocal numeracy episodes and children's number-word use (r=.59). These findings support the idea that contingent responsiveness by adults is important for enhancing children's mathematics learning.

Language Intervention for Children with Severe Intellectual Disability: The Effects of Different Interventions on Children’s Acquisition of Receptive and Expressive Language

1992 ◽  
Vol 15 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 44-55
Author(s):  
Roger Rees ◽  
Paula Williams
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Intervention Studies ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Expressive Language ◽  
Language Intervention ◽  
Teaching Program ◽  
Severe Intellectual Disability ◽  
Language Measures ◽  
Family Based ◽  
Distinct Features

Three years of intervention to improve the language skills of children with severe intellectual disability are reported. Family based teaching, therapy and counselling programs were used as the basis of the interventions. Repeated language measures (norm referenced) were used to assess the effects of the interventions. Comparison with other language intervention studies are made. The distinct features of the effective behaviourally oriented teaching program are identified.

Differential responding to two- and three-year-olds' utterances: the roles of grammaticality and ambiguity

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Furrow ◽  
Constance Baillie ◽  
Jennifer McLaren ◽  
Chris Moore
Keyword(s):  
Free Play ◽  
Grammatical Form ◽  
Communicative Functions ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Maternal Responses ◽  
Children's Speech

ABSTRACTMothers have been found to respond differently to grammatical and ungrammatical utterances in young children's language. However, parents indicate that they are conscious only of responding to communicative aspects of their children's speech, not grammar. Further, researchers have looked to the understandability of utterances to explain the effects of grammaticality on maternal responses. The present study addressed the question of whether it is actually grammatical form that mothers respond to, or whether it is ambiguity in the communicative functions of children's utterances. Three mother-child dyads were videotaped in a free play setting when the children were 2;0 and 3;0. Children's spontaneous comprehensible utterances were rated for grammaticality and ambiguity of function, and mothers' responses to them were noted. Results indicated that mothers responded differentially to both the ambiguity and grammaticality of children's utterances, and that these two factors had some degree of independence in their effects on mothers' responses.

Selective looking by 12-month-olds to a temporally contingent partner

2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tricia Striano ◽  
Anne Henning ◽  
Amrisha Vaish
Keyword(s):  
Free Play ◽  
The Other ◽  
Play Session ◽  
Play Context

Twelve-month-old infants interacted with two strangers in a free-play context. In the Experimental condition (n = 17), one stranger (Contingent partner) vocally responded immediately to infants’ looks towards her, whereas the other (Non-contingent partner) was yoked to the Contingent partner with a 1-, 2-, or 3-s delay. In the Control condition (n = 17), the Non-Contingent partner emitted the first vocalization and other non-contingent vocalizations during the free play session. The Contingent partner acted the same as in the Experimental condition. When a novel event occurred after the free-play session, infants looked significantly more to the Contingent partner regardless of condition. The study highlights infants’ selective looking to temporally contingent partners in novel situations.

Fathers' and mothers' speech in early language development

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Rondal
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Only Children ◽  
Early Language Development ◽  
Linguistic Patterns ◽  
Mothers And Children ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Maternal Speech

ABSTRACTFive French-speaking middle-class couples and their male only-children were tape-recorded separately at home while interacting verbally in a free-play, a story-telling, and in a family meal situation. The children's ages ranged from 1; 6 to 3; 0. The speech of the fathers, mothers, and children was transcribed and analysed for its semantic, syntactic, and language-teaching aspects. The results indicate that paternal speech displays the same simplification processes usually found in maternal speech to young children. Paternal speech, however, also contains some linguistic patterns at variance with those found in maternal speech. It is hypothesised that maternal and paternal speech may be complementary in their influence on language development in the children.

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