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Turn taking affects the quality of infant vocalizations*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Kathleen Bloom ,
Ann Russell  and
Karen Wassenberg
Kathleen Bloom*
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University
Ann Russell*
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University
Karen Wassenberg*
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University
*
Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CanadaB3H 4J1.
Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CanadaB3H 4J1.
Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CanadaB3H 4J1.
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Abstract

Two groups of 20 infants aged 0; 3 experienced either conversational turn taking or random responsiveness of an adult. All infant vocalizations were counted and then each was categorized as a speech-like (syllabic) sound or a nonspeech-like (vocalic) sound. The results of this experiment indicated that turn taking caused changes in the quality of infant vocal sounds. When the adult maintained a give-and-take pattern, the infant produced a higher ratio of syllabic/vocalic sounds. The effect of turn taking on infant vocalizations was discussed in terms of its possible adaptive value for adult responsiveness.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , June 1987 , pp. 211 - 227
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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Footnotes

*

The authors express their appreciation to Lois Bloom, James Enns, Philip Dunham, Hildy Ross, and Denise Sommerfeld for their comments and advice concerning the manuscript, Susan Davis and Elsa Lo for their technical assistance, and Heather Walker for serving as one of the experimenters. Special thanks are extended to the parents and infants who so generously participated in this study and to the staff of the Grace Maternity Hospital who helped with the recruitment of participants. This research was made possible by grants (410–83–0660 and 410–85–0227) to the first author from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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