BABBLING SOCIALLY: THE INFLUENCE IN DIRECTEDNESS OF INFANT VOCALIZATION AND MATERNAL SENSITIVITY
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We conducted a longitudinal observational study with 29 mother–infant dyads observed during naturalistic play at 5 and 10 months. Infant vocalizations were classified as object-directed (ODV), undirected (UDV), socially-directed (SDV), or the combination (ODV + SDV). Contingent caregiver responses were coded by vocalization type. ODVs remained to be the most frequent vocalization, yet overall babbling declined over time as ODVs fell. Caregivers responded sensitively to most SDV and ODV+SDV vocalizations, but less consistent for ODVs. Neither 5-month vocalization frequency nor caregiver sensitivity alone predicted language outcomes, but infants’ 10-month vocalizations and the increase in vocalizations and received sensitive maternal response from 5 to 10 months significantly predicted 18-month vocabulary on the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories. These findings suggest that the dyadic interaction of vocalizations, when invited contingent input, scaffold early lexical growth and underscore the developmental importance of social responsiveness.