Victoria Dunoyer de Segonzac
April 26, 2023
General Psychology
Research Credit Method B Papers
Paper 5: The Social Context of Infant-Directed Speech and Its Effects on Early Language
Acquisition
This article written by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Dilara Deniz Can, Melanie
Soderstrom, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek talks about infant-directed speech and ​its impacts on the
acquisition of early language. It states the difference between the ways we speak to toddlers and
the ways we speak to adults, and the benefits of each. When compared to speech directed at
adults, experts have noticed specific characteristics in speech, facial expression, and content
addressed at infants and toddlers. According to recent studies, infant-directed speech encourages
infant attention to language, encourages social interaction between babies and their carers, and
teaches babies about different facets of their native language by emphasizing differences from
speech given to adults. The significance of a caregiver's attention to the newborn is highlighted
by recent research focused on the social role of verbal interactions directed at an infant.
This article states that it is essential to support language development by creating a
communication basis even before language appears. Throughout the article, infant-directed
speech is referred to IDS. According to the research, parents who participate in IDS help their
kids learn the language. It is obvious that IDS enhances infants' attention to the speech stream
and helps highlight some of the linguistic components children need to discover in the language
they hear, even though the precise processes underlying the assisting effect of IDS need to be
further investigated. Additionally, the social context in which IDS is anchored and the infants'
role in encouraging it demand further analysis.
This article proves to be relevant to todays experience and our life as a whole because
having children is a step most people go through and knowing infant-directed speech is crucial in
teaching your children properly. Language is a huge part of everyones life and communication is
crucial for young children as well. I do believe, however, that this article should’ve researched
the importance of multiple languages and infant-directed speech involving these languages. In
my own life, I learned english last. Growing up, my mother raised me only in spanish while my
dad raised me only in french. These two languages were mixed growing up and quite honestly,
when people ask me which language I spoke first, I say I have no clue. I believe speech and
language is important, but also the amount of languages. Would learning all of these languages at
the same time alter our speech as children? Would infant-directed speech compared to
adult-directed speech be different based on the language. I also wonder if the environment plays
a role in this as well. Our environment plays a huge role in the way we communicate. Would IDS
be affected depending on where we grew up?