A cross-language investigation of infant preference for infant-directed communication

Abstract

Virtually all the research to date on infant preference for infant-directed talk has been conducted with English-learning infants. This study was designed to test whether the preference for native infant-directed (ID) communication extends to a language group other than English, and whether infants' preference for ID communication extends to a nonnative language. English- and Cantonese-learning infants 4.5 and 9.0 months of age were tested on their preference for filmed displays of a Cantonese-speaking female addressing either her own infant (ID) or an adult (AD). Both groups of infants showed a robust attentional and affective preference for ID over AD in Cantonese. These results strengthen the claim that the special properties evident in ID communication may have universal attentional and affective significance.