Type and frequency of responsiveness matters: The development of infants' social communicative skills and later language development

Contingent maternal responsiveness has previously been shown to influence the development of many abilities including attachment, language, vocabulary, phonology, attention, and cognitive functioning. In addition, it has been speculated that early contingent interactions may facilitate the development of early social communicative behaviors including joint attention abilities. Examining 13-month-old infant vocal-led interactions with mothers in free play allowed us to look at maternal responses to a specific social communicative interaction. These interactions were then correlated with infants' social communicative abilities as assessed by the Early Social Communicative Scales. Both components were then used to predict later language abilities using the McArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Gestures. Specific responses from mothers during free play and infants communicative abilities were shown to correlate and predict social communicative abilities. Later language abilities were also shown to be predicted by specific responses from mothers during free play and infants' own social communicative skills.