MARCS Insight Series: Shaping Linguistic Input: Quality and Quantity in Parent-Infant Interactions

MARCS INSIGHTS SERIES – Tuesdays at 11am

All welcome! To receive the zoom link and be added to the mailing list, please email marcs@westernsydney.edu.au.

Speaker

Dr Antonia Goetz

Interest Group

BabyLab

Abstract

In the realm of human communication, the variability and adaptability of speech play crucial roles. Our ability to adjust and modify linguistic features based on contextual cues is an inherent characteristic of language use. Intuitively, we employ diverse speech patterns to fulfill specific communicative purposes, tailoring our language to suit the given context. When we communicate with an infant, we inherently use a particular speech register called infant-directed speech (IDS), which is different from the speech we use when communicating with other adults, called adult-directed speech (ADS). From previous research we know IDS (the quality) supports language development. However, not only the quality of parental input is important to shape infants’ linguistic development but also the quantity of parental input. As social interactions (here the parent-infant interaction) are bidirectional, we explore the extent to which parental input is influenced by prelinguistic infants themselves. Our investigation centres on the relationship between infants' temperament and parental language input.

Location

Level 4 Seminar Room, Innovation Quarter, 160 Hawkesbury Road, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia

Join Remotely

To receive a link to virtually attend please register by emailing marcs@westernsydney.edu.au