Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Publication Date
Spring 5-1-2023
Journal
Undergraduate Honours Theses
Abstract
The present research attempts to understand the features of infant-directed (ID) speech during caregiving interactions, specifically their function in eliciting and maintaining infant attention during positive utterances. Using audio and video recordings of 10 mother-infant dyads engaging in a play interaction, positive maternal utterances during infant and adult interactions were coded and analysed for acoustic and prosodic features using Praat vocal analysis software. The results found that ID speech had a higher mean frequency and increased frequency range compared to adult-directed (AD) speech, however AD speech had a greater intensity compared to ID speech. The findings of this research contribute to our understanding of the acoustic and prosodic features of infant directed speech, specifically in their role in eliciting and maintaining infant attention during positive utterances.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Notes
Supervisor: Dr. Christine Tsang