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Infant vocalizations and changes in experience*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

D. D. Hilke
D. D. Hilke*
Affiliation:
Cornell University and Smithsonian Institution
*
Department of Public Programs, Room MB66, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, USA.
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Abstract

The possibility that infant vocalizations occur in conjunction with significant changes in experience was tested in a study of seven infants aged 0;8. Each infant was videotaped during an isolated freeplay session with each of three toys. Two indices of changing experience were used to identify portions of the tape where increased vocalizing was expected. The Place Index identified potentially significant changes in experience via major changes in locus of attention. The Reaction Index employed certain rapid changes in expression (e.g. smile, startle, browchange as indicators of corresponding changes in subjective experience. As predicted, periods of the tape encompassed by either or both of these indices evidenced significantly more vocalizations than remaining portions of the tape. Implications of these results for theories of infant communicative competence and for infant language development are discussed.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , February 1988, pp. 1 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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Footnotes

*

The research reported in this article was supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health which funded substantial portions of the author's graduate training and research at Cornell University.

References

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