Brief observations of infant vocalization were obtained during health maintenance clinic visits at monhly intervals during the first year to determine when and how much observations might be useful in assessing characteristics of the mother-child relationship and predicting later development. There was an overall increase in amount of vocalization observed during the first year. The most reliable assessment of individual differences was obtained in the age range of 4–6 months. The mean of two observations in this age range showed significant correlations with scores on the Verbalization factor of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development obtained at 11–15 months of age. Predictive value of obtaining a quotient above 100 on the Verbalization factor was 79% for at least one observation of vocalization at a rate above 19 in 5 minutes. Results suggest that brief observations of infant vocalization between 4 and 6 months may have practical value in identifying infants whose caretaker is szifficiently responsive to promote development in the first year.
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Camp et al. (1987) studied this question.