Preschool Boys' Speech Modifications: The Effect of Listeners' Linguistic Levels and Conversational Responsiveness

Abstract

MASUR, ELISE FRANK. Preschool Boys' Speech Modifications: The Effect of Listeners' Linguistic Levels and Conversaitonal Responsiveness. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1978, 49, 924-927. 10 4year-old boys explained how a toy worked to high verbal (mean lengths of utterances [MLUs] 1.8-4.0) and low verbal (MLUs 1.0-1.5) 2-year-old boys. The 2 groups of 2-year-olds did not differ in their ages, practical-cognitive ability scores, or behavioral ratings during the sessions. Analyses of speech at the beginning of the sessions showed that the 4-year-olds differentially adjusted their speech to listeners of contrasting linguistic productivity and level. During the sessions the children's production of short utterances that were responses to the speech or behavior of the partner increased, indicating greater interactive and conversational involvement. The 4-year-olds produced longer utterances and more complex syntactic constructions to listeners whose speech was more responsive. The results demonstrate that listeners' linguistic ability and conversational responsiveness influence preschoolers' speech modifications.