New Perspectives in Early Communicative Development

Since the 1970s researchers in the communicative development of infants and small children had rejected traditional models and began to explore the complex, dynamic properties of communicative exchanges. This title, originally published in 1993, proposed a new and advanced frame of reference to account for the growing body of empirical work on the emergence of communication processes at the time. Communication development in the early years of life undergoes universal processes of change and variations linked to the characteristics and qualities of different social contexts. The first section of the book presents key issues in communication research which were either revisited (intentional communication, imitation, symbolic play) or newly introduced (co-regulation, the role of emotions, shared meaning) in recent years. The second section provides an account of communication as a context-bound process partly inspired by theoretical accounts such as those of Vygotsky and Wallon. Included here are new studies showing differences in communication between infants compared with those between infants and adults, which also have important methodological implications. With perspectives from developmental psychology, psycholinguistics and educational psychology, the international contributors give a multi-disciplinary account of the expansion, variety and richness of current research on early communication. This title will be of particular interest to those involved in child development and communication research, as well as for social, educational and clinical psychologists.

Jacqueline Nadel, Luigia Camaioni

List of Figures and Tables. Notes on Contributors. Acknowledgements. Introduction Jacqueline Nadel and Luigia Camaioni Part 1: General Processes 1. Two Principles of Communication: Co-regulation and Framing Alan Fogel 2. Intersubjective Vocal Imitation in Early Mother-Infant Interaction Giannis Kugiumutzakis 3. The Function of Emotions in Early Infant Communication and Development Colwyn Trevarthen 4. The Development of Intentional Communication: A Re-analysis Luigia Camaioni 5. Communication and the Development of Symbolic Play: The Need for a Pragmatic Perspective Michel Deleau 6. Imitation and Toddlers' Achievement of Co-ordinated Action With Others Carol O. Eckerman 7. What Makes Immediate Imitation Communicative in Toddlers and Autistic Children? Jacqueline Nadel and Anna Pezé Part 2: Communication in Different Social Contexts 8. The Social Construction of Meaning in Early Infant-Parent and Infant-Peer Relations Luigia Camaioni 9. The Structures of Peer Participation in Shared Activity: Frameworks for Acquiring Communicative Knowledge Grace Wales Shugar 10. The Effect of Adult Presence on Communicative Behaviour Among Toddlers Biran Mertan, Jacqueline Nadel and Helene Lévèau 11. Contributions of Actor and Partner to Dyadic Interactions in Toddlers: A Longitudinal Study Cornelis F.M. van Lieshout, Hendrick W. van Ijzendoorn and Simone A. de Roos 12. Constructing Social Communication with Peers: Domains and Sequences Carollee Howes, Leslie Phillipsen and Claire Hamilton. Name Index. Subject Index.