Responding to babies’ speech-like sounds while reading strengthens their language development
An American study had discovered that mothers who respond to their babies of 12 months while reading a book strengthen their language development. Imitation or expansion of sounds is the most common way to respond them.
A study of the University of Iowa (USA) has observed that mothers who respond to their babies of 12 months while reading a book strengthen their language development. Imitation or expansion of sounds is the most common way to respond them.
Researchers, informs Tendencias 21, analysed how mothers responded to their babies of 12 month during book reading, puppet play, and toy play. What researchers found is that the babies made more speech-like sounds during reading than when playing with puppets or toys. They also discovered that mothers were more responsive to this type of sounds while reading to their child than during the other activities.
This findings could explain why book reading has been linked to language development in little children, according to the information of the university.
The study also found out that no matter the context, mother’s responses to the speech-like sounds were often imitations or an expansion of the sounds. For example, if the baby said: “Ba”, the mother would respond “Ba-ba” or “Ball”, even if it has nothing to do with the story being read.
The researcher Julie Gros-Louis, specialist in psychology, says that she uses mothers and their babies for this study because their interactions has been studied more than those between fathers and their children.
Researchers coded children’s vocalizations and his or her mother’s responses. Vocalizations included any sound the baby made except distress cries and fusses, hiccups, coughs, and grunts. Mothers’ responses were classified as follows: acknowledgments ("mmm-hmm," "uh-huh"); attributions ("it's pretty"); directives ("push that"); naming ("it's a ball"); play vocalizations ("getcha!"); questions; and imitations/expansions.
In a studied published in 2014, Gros-Louis and other researchers from Indiana University found that mothers who engaged with the babbling of their 8-month-olds babies in a consciously way could accelerate their children’s vocalizing and language learning.
Researchers, informs Tendencias 21, analysed how mothers responded to their babies of 12 month during book reading, puppet play, and toy play. What researchers found is that the babies made more speech-like sounds during reading than when playing with puppets or toys. They also discovered that mothers were more responsive to this type of sounds while reading to their child than during the other activities.
This findings could explain why book reading has been linked to language development in little children, according to the information of the university.
The study also found out that no matter the context, mother’s responses to the speech-like sounds were often imitations or an expansion of the sounds. For example, if the baby said: “Ba”, the mother would respond “Ba-ba” or “Ball”, even if it has nothing to do with the story being read.
The researcher Julie Gros-Louis, specialist in psychology, says that she uses mothers and their babies for this study because their interactions has been studied more than those between fathers and their children.
Researchers coded children’s vocalizations and his or her mother’s responses. Vocalizations included any sound the baby made except distress cries and fusses, hiccups, coughs, and grunts. Mothers’ responses were classified as follows: acknowledgments ("mmm-hmm," "uh-huh"); attributions ("it's pretty"); directives ("push that"); naming ("it's a ball"); play vocalizations ("getcha!"); questions; and imitations/expansions.
In a studied published in 2014, Gros-Louis and other researchers from Indiana University found that mothers who engaged with the babbling of their 8-month-olds babies in a consciously way could accelerate their children’s vocalizing and language learning.
Cátedra UNESCO de Tecnologías Lingüísticas