Acquisition of pitch contours by infants

Abstract

It has been suggested that infants may acquire control of pitch contour in their vocal productions according to an invariant schedule. The present study was designed to examine pitch contours in the vocalizations of infants in the first eighteen months of life. Eight to ten infants were recorded on a limited longitudinal basis, i.e., across each of the following are ranges: 2–10, 12–23, 26–36, 40–55, and 72–88 weeks (45 infants in all). Forty to fifty vocalizations were selected randomly from each infant's output at the first and the last of these recordings. These vocalizations were analyzed acoustically by means of computer‐assisted spectral analyses and pitch extraction program. Pitch contours were categorized according to the range in which they occurred, as well as their falling/rising characteristics. Developmental differences were documented with respect to pitch contour types across age levels. However, significant differences among infants within age levels were also found. The results suggest that, while there may be an invariant developmental schedule for pitch contour production, this schedule is not highly correlated with chronologic age. [Work supplied by Bureau of Community Health Services, Maternal and Child Health.]