ERIC Number: EJ685598
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Jul
Pages: 14
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-3920
EISSN: N/A
Infant Vocal-Motor Coordination: Precursor to the Gesture-Speech System?
Iverson, Jana M.; Fagan, Mary K.
Child Development, v75 n4 p1053-1066 Jul 2004
This study was designed to provide a general picture of infant vocal-motor coordination and test predictions generated by Iverson and Thelen's (1999) model of the development of the gesture-speech system. Forty-seven 6- to 9-month-old infants were videotaped with a primary caregiver during rattle and toy play. Results indicated an age-related increase in frequency of vocal-motor coordination, greater coordination with arm (specifically right arm) than leg or torso movements, and a temporal pattern similar to that in adult gesture-speech coproductions. Rhythmic vocalizations (consonant-vowel repetitions) were more likely to occur with than without rhythmic movement, and with rhythmic manual than with nonmanual activity, and the rate of vocal-manual coordination was higher in babblers than in prebabblers.
Descriptors: Infants, Play, Child Language, Infant Behavior, Perceptual Motor Coordination, Psychomotor Skills, Verbal Communication, Nonverbal Communication, Communication Skills
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A