Bidirectional patterns of agentivity in dyadic interactions and the importance of adults’ initiative role in children’s language development

Abstract

This study examined the caregiver's role as an initiator of conversational interactions and the effects of such a role on infants’ word learning. 228 daylong LENA recordings from 141 Korean mother-child dyads (60 girls & 81 boys aged 7-30 months) were analysed. Both the child and mother showed more engaging patterns of speech behavior in their own-initiated conversational blocks across ages. Analysis of 40 children at an early speech stage (15 girls; aged 14-15 months) showed that mothers of children with higher CDI percentile initiated more conversation and responded more quickly. Mothers of at-risk children provided less response to the child’s vocalization than typically developing children, and mothers who provided a greater ratio of response also initiated more conversation.