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The bidirectional association between maternal speech and child characteristics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2019

Catherine MIMEAU Open the ORCID record for Catherine MIMEAU [Opens in a new window] ,
Édith CANTIN ,
Richard E. TREMBLAY ,
Michel BOIVIN  and
Ginette DIONNE
Catherine MIMEAU
Affiliation:
Université Laval, Canada
Édith CANTIN
Affiliation:
Université Laval, Canada
Richard E. TREMBLAY
Affiliation:
Université de Montréal, Canada
Michel BOIVIN
Affiliation:
Université Laval, Canada
Ginette DIONNE*
Affiliation:
Université Laval, Canada
*
*Corresponding author: École de psychologie, Université Laval, 2325 rue des Bibliothèques, Québec (Quebec), G1V 0A6, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Our aim was to assess whether infants influence the quantity and quality of their mothers’ speech to them and, in turn, whether this maternal speech influences children's later language. As 189 mothers interacted with each of their twins at age 0;5, we calculated the number of utterances, the proportion of sensitive utterances, and the proportion of self-repeated utterances they produced. We later assessed the twins’ language comprehension and production when they were 1;6, 2;6, and 5;2. Quantity of maternal speech predicted child language at 5;2, whereas sensitivity predicted child language at 2;6 and 5;2 and partial self-repetition predicted child language at 1;6. Conversely, sensitivity and partial self-repetition in maternal speech at 0;5 were associated with genetic factors from the child, indicating that infant characteristics influence the quality of maternal speech. Overall, our findings stress the importance of considering both directions in the association between maternal speech and child characteristics.

Keywords

maternal speechinfantschild languagechild effectsbehavioural genetics
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 47 , Special Issue 2: The Influence of Input Quality and Communicative Interaction on Language Development Part 2 , March 2020 , pp. 435 - 456
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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