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Selective production of vocalization types in different communication contexts
1Dipartimento di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e della Socializzazione, Università di Padova, Italy.
Journal of Child Language
|October 1, 1991
Summary
Infant vocalizations are context-specific before 9 months, showing individual differences in acoustic features. This selective sound production, crucial for early communication, diminishes with age.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
- Acoustic Phonetics
Background:
- Early vocalizations are foundational for language acquisition.
- Understanding the relationship between vocal production and communicative context is key to deciphering early sound-meaning development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the production of infant vocalizations in adult-infant-toy interactions.
- To test the hypothesis that vocalizations are selectively uttered based on their production context.
- To analyze non-segmental acoustic features and individual differences in vocalizations.
Main Methods:
- Intensive study of five infants (aged 0;4 to 0;11).
- Analysis of non-segmental acoustic features of vocalizations across four communicative contexts.
- Discriminant function analysis to identify patterns and individual differences.
Main Results:
- Distinct patterns of non-segmental features characterize vocalizations produced in different contexts.
- Both inter-subject variability and intra-subject consistency in vocal production were observed.
- The 'selective production' of vocalizations decreased after 9 months of age.
Conclusions:
- Infant vocalizations exhibit context-dependent acoustic characteristics in early development.
- Individual differences in vocal production are present, alongside consistent patterns within subjects.
- The findings suggest a developmental shift in vocal production strategies around 9 months, impacting sound-meaning development.