Music@Home: a novel instrument to assess the home musical environment in the early years

Article


Politimou, N., Stewart, L., Müllensiefen, D. and Franco, F. 2018. Music@Home: a novel instrument to assess the home musical environment in the early years. PLoS ONE. 13 (4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193819
TypeArticle
TitleMusic@Home: a novel instrument to assess the home musical environment in the early years
AuthorsPolitimou, N., Stewart, L., Müllensiefen, D. and Franco, F.
Abstract

The majority of children under the age of 5 appear to show spontaneous enjoyment of singing, being exposed to music and interacting with musical instruments, but whether variations in engaging in such activities in the home could contribute to developmental outcomes is still largely unknown. Critically, researchers lack a comprehensive instrument with good psychometric properties to assess the home musical environment from infancy to the preschool years. To address this gap, this paper presents two studies that describe the development and validation of the Music@Home questionnaire, which comprises two versions: Infant and Preschool. In Study 1, an initial pool of items was generated and administered to a wide audience of parents (n = 287 for the Infant, n = 347 for the Preschool version). Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify different dimensions comprising the home musical environment of both infants and pre-schoolers, and to reduce the initial pool of items to a smaller number of meaningful items. In Study 2, convergent and divergent validity and internal and test-retest reliability of the new instrument were established, using data from a different sample of participants (n = 213 for the Infant, n = 213 for the Preschool version). The second study also investigated associations between the Music@Home and musical characteristics of the parents, such as their musical education and personal engagement with music. Overall, the Music@Home constitutes a novel, valid and reliable instrument that allows for the systematic assessment of distinct aspects of the home musical environment in families with children under the age of 5. Furthermore, the Infant and Preschool versions of the Music@Home present differential associations with musical characteristics of the parents opening a new area of inquiry into how musical exposure and interaction in the home may vary across different developmental stages.

Research GroupLanguage, Learning and Cognition group
PublisherPublic Library of Science
JournalPLoS ONE
ISSN1932-6203
Publication dates
Online11 Apr 2018
Print11 Apr 2018
Publication process dates
Deposited13 Apr 2018
Submitted19 Sep 2017
Accepted20 Feb 2018
Output statusPublished
Publisher's version
License
Copyright Statement

Copyright: © 2018 Politimou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Additional information

Data Availability Statement: All data files from the Music@Home development and validation study are available from the figshare database https://doi.org/10.22023/mdx.5398189.v1.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193819
LanguageEnglish
Permalink -

https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/879vz

Download files


Publisher's version

Restricted files

Accepted author manuscript

  • 57
    total views
  • 12
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Soundscapes of infant care and infant-directed communication in two hunter-gatherer societies
Lewis, J., Lewis, I. and Franco, F. 2024. Soundscapes of infant care and infant-directed communication in two hunter-gatherer societies. Hunter Gatherer Research. https://doi.org/10.3828/hgr.2024.2
Home musical activities boost premature infants' language development
Franco, F., Chifa, M. and Politimou, N. 2024. Home musical activities boost premature infants' language development. Children. 11 (5), p. 542. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11050542
Comparing the benefits of parent–infant flute and singing groups for communication and parenting: A feasibility study
Hadar, T., Politimou, N. and Franco, F. 2024. Comparing the benefits of parent–infant flute and singing groups for communication and parenting: A feasibility study. Psychology of Music. 52 (2), pp. 141-157. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356231166759
Development and validation of the Music Cognitive Test: A music-based cognitive screening test
Mangiacotti, A., Cipriani, G., Ward, E., Franco, F. and Biasutti, M. 2023. Development and validation of the Music Cognitive Test: A music-based cognitive screening test. Psychology of Music. 51 (2), pp. 373-394. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356221100851
The impact of temporal synchronisation imprecision on TRF analyses
Carta, S., Mangiacotti, A., Lopez Valdez, A., Reilly, R., Franco, F. and Di Liberto, G. 2023. The impact of temporal synchronisation imprecision on TRF analyses. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109765
Singing to infants matters: early singing interactions affect musical preferences and facilitate vocabulary building
Franco, F., Suttora, C., Spinelli, M., Kozar, I. and Fasolo, M. 2022. Singing to infants matters: early singing interactions affect musical preferences and facilitate vocabulary building. Journal of Child Language. 49 (3), pp. 552-577. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000921000167
The impact of the home musical environment on infants' language development
Papadimitriou, A., Smythe, C., Politimou, N., Franco, F. and Stewart, L. 2021. The impact of the home musical environment on infants' language development. Infant Behavior and Development. 65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101651
The soundscape of neonatal intensive care: a mixed-methods study of the parents' experience
Chifa, M., Hadar, T., Politimou, N., Reynolds, G. and Franco, F. 2021. The soundscape of neonatal intensive care: a mixed-methods study of the parents' experience. Children. 8 (8). https://doi.org/10.3390/children8080644
Evaluating a continuing professional development course on cognitive functions for Music Therapists working in care homes
Mangiacotti, A., Franco, F., Hsu, M. and Biasutti, M. 2021. Evaluating a continuing professional development course on cognitive functions for Music Therapists working in care homes. Arts in Psychotherapy. 74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2021.101800
Sing for me, Mama! Infants' discrimination of novel vowels in song
Falk, S., Fasolo, M., Genovese, G., Romero-Lauro, L. and Franco, F. 2021. Sing for me, Mama! Infants' discrimination of novel vowels in song. Infancy. 26 (2), pp. 248-270. https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12387
Memory improvement in aging as a function of exposure to mood-matching music
Ward, E., Isac, A., Donnelly, M., Van Puyvelde, M. and Franco, F. 2021. Memory improvement in aging as a function of exposure to mood-matching music. Acta Psychologica. 212, pp. 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103206
Melodic expectations in 5- to 6-year-old children
Politimou, N., Douglass-Kirk, P., Pearce, M., Stewart, L. and Franco, F. 2021. Melodic expectations in 5- to 6-year-old children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2020.105020
The German Music@Home: validation of a questionnaire measuring at home musical exposure and interaction of young children
Schaal, N., Politimou, N., Franco, F., Stewart, L. and Müllensiefen, D. 2020. The German Music@Home: validation of a questionnaire measuring at home musical exposure and interaction of young children. PLoS ONE. 15 (8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235923
Born to speak and sing: musical predictors of language development in pre-schoolers
Politimou, N., Dalla Bella, S., Faruggia, N. and Franco, F. 2019. Born to speak and sing: musical predictors of language development in pre-schoolers. Frontiers in Psychology. 10, pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00948
Effetti della partecipazione a gruppi musicali per genitori e infanti su sviluppo comunicativo e genitorialità: confronto fra gruppi di flauto e di canto [= Effects of longitudinal music groups for infants and parents on communication and parenting: comparison between song and flute groups]
Hadar, T., Boem, S. and Franco, F. 2018. Effetti della partecipazione a gruppi musicali per genitori e infanti su sviluppo comunicativo e genitorialità: confronto fra gruppi di flauto e di canto [= Effects of longitudinal music groups for infants and parents on communication and parenting: comparison between song and flute groups]. in: Degli Stefani, M. and Guadagnini, M. (ed.) Gruppi sonori: Dalla tradizione alla cura Padova (Italy) CLEUP/Fondazione G. E. Ghirardi Onlus. pp. 162-189
Testing literacy educational software to develop design guidelines for children with Autism
Tuedor, M., Franco, F., White, A.S., Smith, S. and Adams, R. 2018. Testing literacy educational software to develop design guidelines for children with Autism. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. 66 (1), pp. 19-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2018.1450494
Simple mindreading abilities predict complex theory of mind: developmental delay in autism spectrum disorders
Pino, M., Mazza, M., Mariano, M., Peretti, S., Dimitriou, D., Masedu, F., Valenti, M. and Franco, F. 2017. Simple mindreading abilities predict complex theory of mind: developmental delay in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 47 (9), pp. 2743-2756. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3194-1
Preschoolers' attribution of affect to music: a comparison between vocal and instrumental performance
Franco, F., Chew, M. and Swaine, J. 2017. Preschoolers' attribution of affect to music: a comparison between vocal and instrumental performance. Psychology of Music. 45 (1), pp. 131-149. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735616652954
Emotion-related musical variables affect person perception: Differential effects for men and women in a synchronization task
Franco, F. and Angelova, S. 2016. Emotion-related musical variables affect person perception: Differential effects for men and women in a synchronization task. Interaction Studies: Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systems. 17 (2), pp. 306-320. https://doi.org/10.1075/is.17.2.06fra
The interaction of music and language in the ontogenesis of human communication: a multimodal parent-infant co-regulation system.
Van Puyvelde, M., Franco, F. and HRI Online Publications, 2015. The interaction of music and language in the ontogenesis of human communication: a multimodal parent-infant co-regulation system. in: Timmers, R., Dibben, N., Eitan, Z., Granot, R., Metcalfe, T., Schiavio, A. and Williamsom, V. (ed.) Proceedings of ICMEM 2015 HRI Online Publications. pp. 1-8
Facilitating support groups for siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders using audioconferencing: a longitudinal feasibility study
Gettings, S., Franco, F. and Santosh, P. 2015. Facilitating support groups for siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders using audioconferencing: a longitudinal feasibility study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. 9 (8), pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-015-0041-z
Affect-matching music improves cognitive performance in adults and young children for both positive and negative emotions
Franco, F., Swaine, J., Israni, S., Zaborowska, K., Kaloko, F., Kesavarajan, I. and Majek, J. 2014. Affect-matching music improves cognitive performance in adults and young children for both positive and negative emotions. Psychology of Music. 42 (6), pp. 869-887. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735614548500
Can children with autism read emotions from the eyes? The eyes test revisited
Franco, F., Itakura, S., Pomorska, K., Abramowski, A., Nikaido, K. and Dimitriou, D. 2014. Can children with autism read emotions from the eyes? The eyes test revisited. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 35 (5), pp. 1015-1026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.01.037
Can young children recognize emotion in the human voice?
Franco, F. and Martiskova, J. 2010. Can young children recognize emotion in the human voice? in: Klčovanská, E. and Topoľská, A. (ed.) Psychologická teória a prax očami absolventa KP FF TU - Proceedings of Trnava Annual Conference Trnava (Slovakia) Trnavská univerzita v Trnave (Trnava University Press). pp. 125-132
Meaning and entrainment in language and music
Franco, F. and Cross, I. 2012. Meaning and entrainment in language and music. Empirical Musicology Review. 7 (1-2), pp. 2-4.
Embodied attention in infant pointing
Franco, F. 2013. Embodied attention in infant pointing. in: Metcalfe, J., Sparrow, B. and Terrace, H. (ed.) Agency and joint attention Oxford University Press (OUP).
Music of language, language of music
Franco, F., Brunswick, N. and De Mornay Davies, P. 2010. Music of language, language of music. The Psychologist. 23 (11), pp. 913-914.
Theory of mind and preschoolers’ understanding of implicit causality in verbs: a comparison between Serbian and Hungarian children.
Major, A., Franco, F. and Zotovic, M. 2010. Theory of mind and preschoolers’ understanding of implicit causality in verbs: a comparison between Serbian and Hungarian children. Psihologija. 43 (2), pp. 187-198. https://doi.org/10.2298/PSI1002187M
Mental, emotion and vision verbs: implicit causality and the development of folk psychological beliefs in preschoolers.
Franco, F. and Regber, L. 2007. Mental, emotion and vision verbs: implicit causality and the development of folk psychological beliefs in preschoolers. 37th Annual Meeting of the Jean Piaget Society on "Developmental social cognitive neuroscience". Amsterdam, the Netherlands 31 May - 02 Jun 2007
Research seminars on music and language [part of Society section]
Franco, F., Brunswick, N. and De Mornay Davies, P. 2010. Research seminars on music and language [part of Society section]. The Psychologist. 23 (11), pp. 913-914.
Is infant initiation of joint attention by pointing affected by type of interaction?
Franco, F., Perucchini, P. and March, B. 2009. Is infant initiation of joint attention by pointing affected by type of interaction? Social Development. 18 (1), pp. 51-76. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00464.x
The role of belief veracity in understanding intentions-in-action: preschool children's performance on the transparent intentions task
Russell, J., Hill, E. and Franco, F. 2001. The role of belief veracity in understanding intentions-in-action: preschool children's performance on the transparent intentions task. Cognitive Development. 16 (3), pp. 775-792. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2014(01)00057-0
Cross-linguistic developmental evidence of implicit causality in visual perception and cognition verbs.
Franco, F., Levorato, C., Tasso, A. and Russell, J. 2000. Cross-linguistic developmental evidence of implicit causality in visual perception and cognition verbs. in: Perkins, M. and Howard, S. (ed.) New directions in language development and disorders. New York Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. pp. 189-198
Toddlers' pointing when joint attention is obstructed
Franco, F. and Gagliano, A. 2001. Toddlers' pointing when joint attention is obstructed. First Language. 21 (63), pp. 289-321. https://doi.org/10.1177/014272370102106305
Infant pointing: Harlequin, servant of two masters.
Franco, F. 2005. Infant pointing: Harlequin, servant of two masters. in: Eilan, N., Hoerl, C., McCormack, T. and Roessler, J. (ed.) Joint Attention: communication and other minds. Issues in Philosophy and Psychology. Oxford University Press (OUP). pp. 129-164
Dynamic aspects of visual event perception and the production of pointing by human infants
Butterworth, G., Franco, F., McKenzie, B., Graupner, L. and Todd, B. 2002. Dynamic aspects of visual event perception and the production of pointing by human infants. Journal of Developmental Psychology. 20 (1), pp. 1-24.
A follow-up study on Italian late talkers: development of language, short-term memory, phonological awareness, impulsiveness, and attention
D'Odorico, L., Assanelli, A., Franco, F. and Jacob, V. 2007. A follow-up study on Italian late talkers: development of language, short-term memory, phonological awareness, impulsiveness, and attention. Applied Psycholinguistics. 28 (1), pp. 157-169. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716406070081