Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T17:23:38.640Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The infant's role in mother–infant communications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Lynne Murray  and
Colwyn Trevarthen
Lynne Murray*
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Colwyn Trevarthen
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
*
* Lynne Murray, Child Care and Development Group, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RF, UK.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Mothers talked to their infants via a video system designed so that each partner saw a full-face, life-size image of the other on a screen before them, perfect eye-to-eye contact being possible. They were presented either with live, real-time video sequences of their infants, where communication was therefore potentially mutually responsive, or else with the same sequence replayed some minutes later. The mother's babytalk differed consistently between live and replay sequences. Since the infants' acts were identical in form in the two conditions, the only difference being the infant's potential responsiveness to the mother, these results are evidence for the infant's active role in contributing to the nature of interactions with adults.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , February 1986 , pp. 15 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ainsworth, M. D. S., Bell, S. & Stayton, D. J. (1974). Infant mother attachment and social development. In Richards, M.P.M. (ed.), The integration of a child into a social world. Cambridge: C.U.P.Google Scholar
Bates, E., Camaioni, L. & Volterra, V. (1975). The acquisition of performatives prior to speech. MPQ 21. 205–26.Google Scholar
Bell, R. Q. (1968). A reinterpretation of the direction of effects in studies of socialization. PsychRev 72. 81–95.Google Scholar
Bernal, J. F. (1974). Attachment: some problems and possibilities. In Richards, M.P.M. (ed.), The integration of a child into a social world. Cambridge: C.U.P.Google Scholar
Brazelton, T.B. (1961). Psychophysiologic reactions in the neonate. 1. The value of observations of the neonate. JPed 58. 508–12.Google Scholar
Brown, R. (1977). Introduction. In Snow, C.E. & Ferguson, C.A. (eds), Talking to children: language input and acquisition. Cambridge: C.U.P.Google Scholar
Cazden, C. (1972). Child language and education. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.Google Scholar
Cross, T. (1977). Mothers' speech adjustments: the contribution of selected child listener variables. In Snow, C.E. and Ferguson, C.A. (eds), Talking to children: language input and acquisition. Cambridge: C.U.P.Google Scholar
Duncan, S. (1972). Some signals and rules for taking speaking turns in conversations. JPersSocPsych 23. 283–92.Google Scholar
Duncan, S. & Niederehe, G. (1974). On signalling that it's your turn to speak. JExpSocPsych 10. 234–47.Google Scholar
Ferguson, C. A. (1977). Baby talk as a simplified register. In Snow, C. E. & Ferguson, C. A. (eds), Talking to children: lanugage input and acquisition. Cambridge: C.U.P.Google Scholar
Ferguson, N. (1975). Interruptions: speaker switch non-fluency in spontaneous conversation. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Fraiberg, S. (1979). Blind infants and their mothers: an examination of the sign system. In Bullowa, M. (ed.), Before speech: the beginnings of communication. Cambridge: C.U.P.Google Scholar
Haber, A. & Runyon, R. P. (1978). General statistics. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.Google Scholar
Kaye, K.(1977). Toward the origin of dialogue. In Schaffer, H. R. (ed.), Studies in mother–infant interaction. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kaye, K. (1982). Mental and social life of babies. Chicago: Harvester.Google Scholar
Klein, M. (1952). Chapters 6–9. In Klein, M., Heimann, P., Isaacs, P. & Riviere, J., Developments in psychoanalysis. London: Hogarth.Google Scholar
Levy, D. M. (1958). Behavioural analysis. New York: Thomas.Google Scholar
Lieven, E.V.M. (1978 a). Turn taking and pragmatics: two issues in early child language. In Campbell, R. and Smith, P. T. (eds), Recent advances in the study of language. New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Lieven, E.V.M. (1978 b). Conversations between mothers and young children: individual differences and their possible implications for the study of language learning. In Waterson, N. & Snow, C. E. (eds), The development of communication. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Minde, K. (1983). Some determinants of parenting prematures, singletons and twins. Paper presented at the Second World Congress on Infant Psychiatry, Cannes, France.Google Scholar
Murray, L. (1980). The sensitivities and expressive capacities of young infants in communication with their mothers. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Murray, L. & Trevarthen, C. B. (1985). Emotional regulation of interactions between 2 month olds and their mothers. In Field, T. M. & Fox, N. A. (eds), Social perception in infants. New Jersey: Ablex.Google Scholar
Nelson, K. (1973). Structure and strategy in learning to talk. In MonogSocResChDevel 38. No. 149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newport, E. L., Gleitman, H. & Gleitman, L. R. (1977). Mother, I'd rather do it myself: some effects and non-effects of maternal speech style. In Snow, C. E. & Ferguson, C. A. (eds), Talking to children: language input and acquisition. Cambridge: C.U.P.Google Scholar
Newson, J. (1977). An intersubjective approach to the systematic description of mother–infant interaction. In Schaffer, H. K. (ed.), Studies in mother–infant interaction. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Papousek, H. & Papousek, M. (1975). Cognitive aspects of preverbal social interaction between human infants and adults. In Parent infant interaction. Ciba Foundation Symposium No. 33. Amsterdam: ElsevierGoogle Scholar
Phillips, P. (1973). Syntax and vocabulary of mother's speech to young children: age and sex comparisons. ChDev 44. 182–5.Google Scholar
Richer, J.M.C. (1974). The social and stereotyped behaviour of autistic children. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Reading.Google Scholar
Ringler, N. M., Kennell, J. H., Jarvella, R., Navojosky, B. H. & Klaus, M. H. (1975). Mother to child speech at two years – effects of early postnatal contact. JPed 86. 141–4.Google ScholarPubMed
Rutter, M. (1971). Maternal deprivation re-assessed. Harmondsworth: Penguin.Google Scholar
Sachs, J. (1977). The adaptive significance of linguistic input to prelinguistic infants. In Snow, C. E. & Ferguson, C. A. (eds), Talking to children: language input and acquisitions. Cambridge: C.U.P.Google Scholar
Schaffer, H. R. (1971). The growth of sociability. Harmondsworth: Penguin.Google Scholar
Schaffer, H. R. & Emerson, P. E. (1964). The development of social attachments in infancy. MonogSocResChDevel 29. No. 94.Google ScholarPubMed
Snow, C. E. (1976). Mothers' speech in three social classes. JPsycholingRes 5. 1–20.Google Scholar
Snow, C. E. (1977). The development of conversation between mothers and babies. JChLang 4. 1–22.Google Scholar
Stern, D. N., Beebe, B., Jaffe, J. & Bennett, S. L. (1977). The infant's stimulus world during social interaction: a study of caregiver behaviors with particular reference to repetition and timing. In Schaffer, H. K. (ed.), Studies in mother–infant interaction. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Sylvester-Bradley, B. & Trevarthen, C. B. (1978). Baby-talk as an adaptation to the infant's communication. In Waterson, N. & Snow, C. E. (eds) The development of communication. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Trevarthen, C. B. (1979). Communication and cooperation in early infancy: a description of primary intersubjectivity. In Bullowa, M. (ed.), Before speech: the beginnings of communication. Cambridge: C.U.P.Google Scholar
Winnicott, D. W. (1965). The maturational process and the facilitating environment. London: Hogarth.Google Scholar
Yarrow, L. J. (1963). Research in dimensions of early maternal care. MPQ 9. 101–14.Google Scholar