Early Sociocommunicative Narrative Patterns During Costa Rican Mother–Infant Interaction

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511815669.005

3 - Early Sociocommunicative Narrative Patterns During Costa Rican Mother–Infant Interaction

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012

Edited by

Alison L. Bailey and

Allyssa McCabe: Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Alison L. Bailey: Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Gigliana Melzi: Affiliation:
New York University

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Summary

Key Words: protoconversations, mother-infant interaction, Costa Rica, early language development, and school readiness

ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the relationship between sociocommunicative interactive strategies and child early language. Variation in maternal communicative patterns is well documented (Dickinson & Tabors, 2001; McCabe & Peterson, 1991) and has shown how parents who extend discourse with their children elicit narratives from them. Parents who explain and expand conversation with children seem to provide children with experiences that promote the development of more sophisticated language skills. Most of the available research pertains to young North American children who are able to produce at least one- or two-word utterances. This study contributes to this research by exploring parental interactive styles with preverbal infants in a sample of mother–infant dyads from Costa Rica.

INTRODUCTION

Although infants do not have the capacity to narrate, they do participate in early interactions with primary caregivers. Even in the first few months of life, infants are exposed to routine rituals that provide patterns for interaction with significant adult others. Routines like bathing and feeding provide children with predictable patterns of behavior and speech (Trevarthen & Hubley, 1978; Tronick, Als, & Adamson, 1979). Games played between the infant and caregiver, such as “pat-a-cake” and “I'm-going-to-get-you,” offer elements common in emergent conversation including turn-taking and partner engagement, observed through pauses and eye gaze. These subtle sociocommunicative exchanges have been labeled protoconversations (Stern, 1985; Trevarthen, 1979).

Type: Chapter
Information: Spanish-Language Narration and Literacy
Culture, Cognition, and Emotion
, pp. 34 - 53

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815669.005 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2008

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