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Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Gesture in Communication
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The interrelatedness between infants' communicative gestures and lexicon size: A longitudinal study
Irene Cadime1, Carla Silva1, Sandra Santos2
1Research Centre on Child Studies, University of Minho, Portugal.
Infant Behavior & Development
|June 3, 2017
Summary
Early gestures in infants significantly predict later language comprehension and production. This study highlights the crucial role of non-verbal communication in a child
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
- Child Development
Background:
- A strong link exists between gesture development and language acquisition in infants.
- Understanding this relationship is key to identifying early communication milestones.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the cross-lagged associations between infant gestures and lexical development.
- To determine if gestures predict word production and comprehension, or vice versa.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 48 typically developing infants.
- Data collected at 9, 12, and 15 months using the European Portuguese MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Gestures (PT CDI:WG).
Main Results:
- Infant gestures at 9 and 12 months predicted word comprehension at 12 and 15 months, respectively.
- The predictive effect of gestures on word production was significant only between 9 and 12 months.
- No evidence was found for word production or comprehension predicting gesture development.
Conclusions:
- Early gestural communication is a significant predictor of subsequent language development in infants.
- Non-verbal behaviors play a foundational role in the emergence of spoken language.
- Interventions supporting early gesture use may enhance language acquisition.
Keywords:
GesturesMacArthur–Bates communicative development inventoryWord comprehensionWord productionMore Related Videos
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