The impact of the home musical environment on infants' language development

Article

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
TypeArticle
TitleThe impact of the home musical environment on infants' language development
AuthorsPapadimitriou, A., Smythe, C., Politimou, N., Franco, F. and Stewart, L.
Abstract

There is strong evidence that musical engagement influences children’s language development but little research has been carried out on the relationship between the home musical environment and language development in infancy. The current study assessed musical exposure at home (including parental singing) and language development in 64 infants (8.5 - 18 months). Results showed that the home musical environment significantly predicted gesture development. For a subgroup of infants’ below 12 months, both parental singing and overall home musical environment score significantly predicted word comprehension. These findings represent the first demonstration that an enriched musical environment in infancy can promote development of communication skills

KeywordsHome musical environment, Infancy, Parental singing, Language development
PublisherElsevier
JournalInfant Behavior and Development
ISSN0163-6383
Electronic1934-8800
Publication dates
Online13 Nov 2021
Print30 Nov 2021
Publication process dates
Submitted30 Dec 2020
Accepted30 Sep 2021
Deposited08 Oct 2021
Output statusPublished
Accepted author manuscript
License
File Access Level
Open
Copyright Statement

© 2021. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101651
LanguageEnglish
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