TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of environmental stimulation on infant vocalizations and orofacial dynamics at the onset of canonical babbling
AU - Harold, Meredith Poore
AU - Barlow, Steven M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the Sutherland Family Foundation and the National Institutes of Health ( R01 DC003311 , Barlow-PI). Thanks to Dr. Jordan R. Green and Joan Wang, MSEE for technical, programming, and processing support. Special gratitude to Dr. Jaehoon Lee for statistical analysis.
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - The vocalizations and jaw kinematics of 30 infants aged 6-8 months were recorded using a Motion Analysis System and audiovisual technologies. This study represents the first attempt to determine the effect of play environment on infants' rate of vocalization and jaw movement. Four play conditions were compared: watching videos, social contingent reinforcement and vocal modeling with an adult, playing alone with small toys, and playing alone with large toys. The fewest vocalizations and spontaneous movement were observed when infants were watching videos or interacting with an adult. Infants vocalized most when playing with large toys. The small toys, which naturally elicited gross motor movement (e.g., waving, banging, shaking), educed fewer vocalizations. This study was also the first to quantify the kinematics of vocalized and non-vocalized jaw movements of 6-8 month-old infants. Jaw kinematics did not differentiate infants who produced canonical syllables from those who did not. All infants produced many jaw movements without vocalization. However, during vocalization, infants were unlikely to move their jaw. This contradicts current theories that infant protophonic vocalizations are jaw-dominant. Results of the current study can inform socio-linguistic and kinematic theories of canonical babbling.
AB - The vocalizations and jaw kinematics of 30 infants aged 6-8 months were recorded using a Motion Analysis System and audiovisual technologies. This study represents the first attempt to determine the effect of play environment on infants' rate of vocalization and jaw movement. Four play conditions were compared: watching videos, social contingent reinforcement and vocal modeling with an adult, playing alone with small toys, and playing alone with large toys. The fewest vocalizations and spontaneous movement were observed when infants were watching videos or interacting with an adult. Infants vocalized most when playing with large toys. The small toys, which naturally elicited gross motor movement (e.g., waving, banging, shaking), educed fewer vocalizations. This study was also the first to quantify the kinematics of vocalized and non-vocalized jaw movements of 6-8 month-old infants. Jaw kinematics did not differentiate infants who produced canonical syllables from those who did not. All infants produced many jaw movements without vocalization. However, during vocalization, infants were unlikely to move their jaw. This contradicts current theories that infant protophonic vocalizations are jaw-dominant. Results of the current study can inform socio-linguistic and kinematic theories of canonical babbling.
KW - Canonical babbling
KW - Environment
KW - Kinematics
KW - Speech
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84871404809&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84871404809&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.infbeh.2012.10.001
DO - 10.1016/j.infbeh.2012.10.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 23261792
AN - SCOPUS:84871404809
SN - 0163-6383
VL - 36
SP - 84
EP - 93
JO - Infant Behavior and Development
JF - Infant Behavior and Development
IS - 1
ER -