This study examined how change occurs in infant gestural communication. Five infants were videotaped once a week from 10 to 12 months and twice a week from 12 to 15 months during play sessions with their mothers in a laboratory playroom. These sessions consisted of 10 minutes of a structured play context in which infants were seated at a table at…

Observed infants' manual gestures while playing with mothers. Infants were more likely than mothers to request objects and less likely to respond to requests for objects. Vocalization accompanying requests increased with age. Infant gazing was most likely during offers that infants initiated without preceding maternal request. Unsolicited offers…