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What’s Your Point?: An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Infants’ Deictic Communicative Behaviors And Interactional Qualities During Free Play With Their Mothers

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Date Issued:
2024
Abstract/Description:
Infants communicate with their caregivers in a variety of ways – even before the onset of verbal language. One of the strategies infants employ is the use of deictic gestures (i.e., index points, showing, giving) to engage in communication about external referents with their partners. Previous associations have been identified that reveal relationships between infant deictic gesturing behaviors and maternal gesturing, however the number of studies that assess maternal interactive qualities simultaneously with these gesturing behaviors is minimal. In the current study, manual data annotation was employed to explore the relationships between infant deictic gesturing frequencies, maternal deictic gesturing frequencies, global maternal behaviors (sensitivity and intrusiveness) and dyadic characteristics. Infants between the ages of 12-months and 24-months (N = 61) and their mothers participated in free-play recorded via online videoconferencing. Frequencies of initiative deictic gestures were calculated. Dyads were classified as having a “pointer” or “non-pointer” infant and mother, respectively. Several significant associations were identified, including a negative association between maternal sensitivity and maternal giving (p = .009) and a positive association between maternal sensitivity and infant index finger pointing (p = .030).
Title: What’s Your Point?: An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Infants’ Deictic Communicative Behaviors And Interactional Qualities During Free Play With Their Mothers.
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Name(s): Hammack, Jacqueline , author
Wilcox, Teresa , Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Department of Psychology
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2024
Date Issued: 2024
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 112 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Infants communicate with their caregivers in a variety of ways – even before the onset of verbal language. One of the strategies infants employ is the use of deictic gestures (i.e., index points, showing, giving) to engage in communication about external referents with their partners. Previous associations have been identified that reveal relationships between infant deictic gesturing behaviors and maternal gesturing, however the number of studies that assess maternal interactive qualities simultaneously with these gesturing behaviors is minimal. In the current study, manual data annotation was employed to explore the relationships between infant deictic gesturing frequencies, maternal deictic gesturing frequencies, global maternal behaviors (sensitivity and intrusiveness) and dyadic characteristics. Infants between the ages of 12-months and 24-months (N = 61) and their mothers participated in free-play recorded via online videoconferencing. Frequencies of initiative deictic gestures were calculated. Dyads were classified as having a “pointer” or “non-pointer” infant and mother, respectively. Several significant associations were identified, including a negative association between maternal sensitivity and maternal giving (p = .009) and a positive association between maternal sensitivity and infant index finger pointing (p = .030).
Identifier: FA00014509 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2024.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Mother and infant
Pointing (Gesture)
Deictic gestures
Developmental psychology
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014509
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
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Host Institution: FAU