Abstract:
Early language development is characterized by large individual variation. Several factors were proposed to contribute to individual pathways of language acquisition in infancy and childhood. One of the biologically based explaining factors is temperament, however, the exact contributions and the timing of the effects merits further research. Pre-term status, infant sex, and environmental factors such as maternal education and maternal language are also involved. Our study aimed to investigate the longitudinal relationship between infant temperament and early language development, also considering infant gender, gestational age, and birthweight. Early temperament was assessed at 6, 9, 18, 24, and 30 months with the Very Short Form of Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ-R) and the Very Short Form of Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ). Early nonverbal communication skills, receptive and expressive vocabulary were evaluated with the Hungarian version of The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (HCDI). Our study adds further evidence to the contribution of infant temperament to early language development. Temperament, infant gender, and gestational age were associated with language development in infancy. Infants and toddlers with higher Surgency might enter communicative situations more readily and show more engagement with adult social partners, which is favorable for communication development. Gestational age was previously identified as a predictor for language in preterm infants. Our results extend this association to the later and narrower gestational age time window of term deliveries. Infants born after longer gestation develop better expressive vocabulary in toddlerhood. Gestational age may mark prenatal developmental processes that may exert influence on the development of verbal communication at later ages.
摘要:
早期语言发展的特点是个体差异大。有人提出了几个因素来促进婴儿期和儿童期语言习得的个体途径。基于生物学的解释因素之一是气质,然而,确切的贡献和影响的时机值得进一步研究。期前状态,婴儿性,和环境因素,如母亲的教育和母亲的语言也涉及。我们的研究旨在探讨婴儿气质与早期语言发育之间的纵向关系,还考虑到婴儿的性别,胎龄,和出生体重。使用非常简短的婴儿行为问卷(IBQ-R)和非常简短的幼儿行为问卷(ECBQ)在6、9、18、24和30个月评估早期气质。早期的非语言沟通技巧,使用匈牙利版的麦克阿瑟交际发展清单(HCDI)评估了接受性和表达性词汇。我们的研究为婴儿气质对早期语言发育的贡献提供了进一步的证据。气质,婴儿性别,胎龄与婴儿期语言发育有关。具有较高摄制度的婴儿和幼儿可能更容易进入交流环境,并表现出与成年社交伙伴的更多参与,有利于通信发展。妊娠年龄以前被确定为早产儿语言的预测因子。我们的结果将这种关联扩展到足月分娩的更晚和更窄的胎龄时间窗口。怀孕时间较长的婴儿在幼儿时期会发展出更好的表达能力。妊娠年龄可能标志着产前发育过程,这些过程可能会影响后期的言语交流发展。