Publication Date

Spring 5-7-2022

Document Type

Article

First Advisor

Olson, Janet

Second Advisor

Morris, Sherrill

Degree Name

B.S. (Bachelor of Science)

Department

School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders

Abstract

The current study explored whether the cradling bias observed in mothers of very young infants is related to acoustic features of infant directed speech. Six mothers were asked to set their 4-month-old infants down and pick them up to determine which side mothers used to cradle their infants. Mothers were placed in two groups: left-sided cradling bias and right-sided cradling bias. The mothers were then recorded as they talked to their infants while they shared books and simple toys designed to elicit the vowels /i/, /a/, and /u/. Vowel fundamental frequency (/i, a, u/) and word length (i.e., “sheep, shop, shoe”) were obtained and compared across and within mothers to determine if mothers who have a left-sided cradling bias also use more acoustic features of infant directed speech. There was no significant difference in vowel fundamental frequencies or the length of the target words dependent on cradling bias. Within mother analyses based on which side they cradled their infant on could not be evaluated because mothers never said the target words when they held their infants on their non-bias side.

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