Emergence of vocal alternation in mother-infant interchanges

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Abstract
Microanalyses of unstructured videotaped interactions of three mother-infant dyads revealed dramatic shifts in dyadic vocalization patterns from primarily overlapping to primarily alternating. Maximal overlapping vocalization appeared between 7 and 13 weeks for the different dyads, and subsequent alternation predominance peaked between 12 and 18 weeks. The findings are compared with prior work which had not found alternation predominance and reasons for the difference are suggested. The early emergence of a sequence of predominantly overlapping vocalization followed by predominantly alternating vocalization may be linked to the concomitant development of multimodal sensory-sensory and sensory-motor integration. If so, then the emergent patterns reflect increased potential for co-ordination within the dyad, which may be capitalized upon by the mother and by the infant.