Child-directed speech in a large sample of U.S. mothers with low income

Research on early language input and socioeconomic status typically relies on correlations in small convenience samples. Using data from Baby’s First Years, this paper assesses the causal impact of monthly, unconditional cash transfers on child-directed speech and child vocalizations among a large, racially diverse sample of low-income US mothers and their one-year-olds (N=563; 48% girls; 2019—2020). The monthly, unconditional cash transfers did not impact mothers’ child-directed speech during a 10-minute at-home play session (effect sizes range from -.08 to .02), though there was wide variability within this sample. Future work will assess the impact of the continued cash transfer on children’s language input and development over time.