2018 Sat Poster 6599

Saturday, November 3, 2018 | Poster Session II, Metcalf Small | 3:15pm

Early attention influences language development through parent-child interactions
B. McMillan, L. Masek, S. Paterson, A. Ribner, K. Hirsh-Pasek, C. Blair

A large body of research implicates joint attention—triadic attention shared between a parent, child, and an object—as a powerful driver of language development (e.g., Bakeman & Adamson, 1984; Charman et al., 2000; Morales et al., 2000; Mundy & Gomes, 1998; Tomasello & Farrar, 1986). In the present study we ask whether a child’s nascent visual attention might also exert an influence on language outcomes by impacting the quality of parent-child interactions. High quality parent-child interactions, characterized by a balanced and fluid interaction, serve as a well-established foundation for early vocabulary development (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015; Hoff, 2003; Hoff & Naigles, 2002; Rowe, 2012; Tamis-Lemonda, Bornstein, & Baumwell, 2001). We predict that children who are better at directing attention at a young age will demonstrate more fluid interactions and have larger vocabularies.

Methods
Participants were recruited as part of a larger longitudinal study of executive function development; the final sample was comprised of 60 children. Attention at 4 months was measured using the Multisensory Attention Assessment Protocol (MAAP). The MAAP measured children’s reaction time (RT) to shift from a center stimulus to videos on either side.

Mother-child interaction quality was assessed during a five-minute shared book-reading task at 14 months. Videos were coded for the fluency of the interaction. The fluency and connectedness of the interaction was evaluated on a 7-point Likert scale, with 1-point indicating no conversation occurred, and 7-points indicating the conversation was fluid and balanced. The MCDI: Words and Gestures was used to measure vocabulary at 14 months.

Results
Mediation regression analyses were conducted to investigate the hypothesis that early attention is related to the quality of the parent-child interaction and children’s vocabulary development. Analyses were run using Process, and attention data were log transformed. Results indicated that early attention is related to the quality of parent-child interactions, b = -.88, t(59) = -2.56, p = .01. Interaction quality was marginally related to vocabulary, b = 4.96, t(58) = 1.82, p = .07. There was a non-significant direct relation between early attention and vocabulary, b = 2.70, t(58) = .36, p = .72. Results confirmed the indirect effect of attention on vocabulary development (B = -4.4, CI = -11.78 to -.19). The 95% confidence interval of the indirect effects was obtained with 5,000 bootstrap resamples (Preacher & Hayes, 2008).

Discussion
Our results indicate that early child attention is related to language development through the quality of the parent-child interactions. Children who show faster RT at 4 months have higher quality parent-child interactions, which in turn is related to larger vocabularies. It is likely that these children are better able to cope with the attentional demands placed on them in a back and forth conversation, and this provides them with enriched opportunities for communication and language development. These results highlight the interconnection between developing cognitive systems and the experiential forces that drive language development.

References

Bakemen R., & Adamson, L. (1984). Coordinating attention to people and objects in mother infant and peer infant interaction. Child Development, 55, 1278-1289.

Charman, T., Baron-Cohen, S., Swettenham, J., Baird, G., Cox, A., & Drew, A. (2000). Testing joint attention, imitation, and play as infancy precursors to language and theory of mind. Cognitive development, 15(4), 481-498.

Hirsh-Pasek, K., Adamson, L. B., Bakeman, R., Owen, M. T., Golinkoff, R. M., Pace, A., … & Suma, K. (2015). The contribution of early communication quality to low- income children’s language success. Psychological Science, 26(7), 1071-1083.

Hoff, E. (2003). The specificity of environmental influence: Socioeconomic status affects early vocabulary development via maternal speech. Child Development, 74(5), 1368-1378.

Hoff, E., & Naigles, L. (2002). How children use input to acquire a lexicon. Child Development. 72(2), 418-433.

Morales, M., Mundy, P., Delgado, C. E., Yale, M., Messinger, D., Neal, R., & Schwartz, K. (2000). Responding to joint attention across the 6-through 24-month age period and early language acquisition. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 21(3), 283-298.

Mundy, P., & Gomes, A. (1998). Individual differences in joint attention skill development in the second year. Infant Behavior & Development, 21(3), 1998, 469-482.

Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Assessing mediation in communication research. The Sage Sourcebook of Advanced Data Analysis Methods for Communication Research, 13-54.

Tamis-Lemonda, C. S., Bornstein, M.H., Baumwell, L. (2001). Maternal responsiveness and children’s achievement of language milestones. Child Development, 72(3), 748-767.

Tomasello, M., & Farrar, M. J. (1986). Joint attention and early language. Child Development, 1454-1463.