Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026
11:50
Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
Maternal gestures with 20-month-old infants in two contexts
Maria O'Neill1, Kim A Bard, Maggie Linnell
1Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, UK. maria.l.oneill@gmail.com
Developmental Science
|June 30, 2005
Summary
Mothers modify gestures when speaking to infants, similar to how they modify speech ("motherese"). This "gesturese" supports communication, but may also stem from simpler interactions, suggesting a universal pattern in child-directed communication.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
- Communication Studies
Background:
- Child-directed speech, known as "motherese," exhibits systematic modifications.
- Emerging research indicates similar modifications in child-directed gestures, termed "gesturese."
- Two theories explain maternal gestural modifications: facilitative interactional theory (gesturese scaffolds speech) and interactional artefact theory (gestural modification is due to semantic simplicity).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the characteristics of maternal gestures in English mothers interacting with their 20-month-old infants.
- To test the facilitative interactional theory versus the interactional artefact theory regarding maternal gestural modifications.
- To examine the universality of child-directed gesture patterns by comparing findings with previous studies.
Main Methods:
- Observation of 12 English mothers and their 20-month-old infants during free play and a counting task.
- Analysis of maternal communicative behavior, quantifying the proportion of gestures.
- Categorization of gestures (e.g., deictic) and assessment of their relationship with speech content.
Main Results:
- Gestures constituted 29% of total maternal communicative behavior.
- Mothers predominantly used concrete deictic gestures (e.g., pointing) to clarify and emphasize speech.
- Maternal gesture rate and the informational link between gestures and speech remained consistent across different tasks, supporting the interactional artefact theory.
- Observed gesture patterns were similar to those reported for American and Italian mothers, suggesting universality.
Conclusions:
- Maternal gestural modifications in English mothers are consistent across tasks, supporting the interactional artefact theory.
- Child-directed gestures are not redundant but actively support communicative acts alongside speech.
- The findings suggest a universal pattern in how mothers use gestures to scaffold infant communication.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
00:55Parental Care
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
01:13Nonconscious Mimicry
Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
01:14Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Exploration...
01:30Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
01:20Attachment
Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that physical...
01:29Non-Verbal Cues
Non-verbal communication extends beyond gestures and facial expressions to include vocal elements known as paralanguage. Paralanguage consists of non-verbal vocal cues such as pitch, loudness, speech rate, pauses, and non-verbal vocalizations like laughter, sighs, and moans. These elements not only accompany speech but also provide critical emotional and contextual information.The Role of Paralanguage in CommunicationParalanguage adds depth to spoken language by conveying emotions and...