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Push or Carry? Pragmatic Opportunities for Language Development in Strollers versus Backpacks
Author(s) -
Mireault Gina C.,
Rainville Brady S.,
Laughlin Breanna
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
infancy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.361
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1532-7078
pISSN - 1525-0008
DOI - 10.1111/infa.12238
Subject(s) - psychology , alertness , language development , developmental psychology , modalities , communication , sociology , social science , psychiatry
Strollers and backpacks are employed early, frequently, and throughout the first year, with parents overwhelmingly using strollers. However, because these transport modalities put infants in different proximities to caregivers, postures, and states of alertness, their use may translate to different opportunities that are of developmental consequence, particularly with regard to language. We used GoPro technology in a within‐subjects counterbalanced design to measure dyadic vocalizations in strollers and backpacks with 7‐ to 11‐month‐old infants. Parent‐infant dyads ( N = 36) who regularly used both transport modes took two 8‐min walks in their own neighborhoods using their own carriers while wearing lightweight head‐mounted GoPros. There was significantly more parent speech, infant vocalizations, dyadic conversations, and infant‐initiated speech in backpacks, as well as more head motion consistent with visual scanning by infants. Backpacks appear to be a practical way to encourage more engaging, language‐enriched developmental opportunities in the critical first year.