Communication Patterns in Adult-Infant Interactions in Western and Non-Western Cultures

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyze the early communication structure in adult-child interactions with 2- to 6-month-old babies in Western (West Germany, Greece)and non-Western (Yanomami, Trobriand) societies. The occurrence of positive and negative infant vocalizations was analyzed during the dyadic states of eye contact and non-eye contact, and the dialogic states of adult talking and nontalking. Adult tactile, vestibular, and verbal responses to infant vocalizations were coded. The results confirm the assumption of universal interactional structures. Positive vocalizations are performed mostly during eye contact; during adult talking, infants do not produce vocalizations; adults respond to positive and negative vocalizations differently; and verbal reactions are found after positive and negative vocalizations, whereas negative vocalizations elicit more bodily behaviors, such as movement and touching. These adult behaviors are interpreted as intuitive parenting programs.