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Checklists were devised to record time-sampled behavior relating to eight modes of mother-to-child and child-to-mother communication. Subjects, chosen from middle-class families, were 48 children, aged one month to three years, and thenmothers. Data showed the relative frequency with which vocal and verbal behavior, eye contact, facial expression, body posture, action, demonstration, and gesture were used in relation to die children’s age, sex, and position in the family. Trends in relation to age were largely predictable, except that mothers of young babies verbalized as frequently as did mothers of older infants. Imitations and expansions were seldom employed even by mothers of children in their third year. Verbalization was mainly related to ongoing events. Mothers made more body contact with young male infants and were most attentive to their first-born children. Time-sampling is suggested as an appropriate method for measuring the frequency with which different modes of communication are employed by hearing-impaired infants and their mothers before and during aural rehabilitation treatment.
Ling et al. (Fri,) studied this question.