Sensorimotor development and the use of prelinguistic performatives.
Thirty-two children participated in a study designed to determine the effects of sensorimotor training on proto-declarative and proto-imperative performative behavior. The children were randomly assigned to training on means-end schemes, training on relating to objects schemes, training on both means-end and relating to objects, or to a control condition involving no training. Results indicated that relating to objects schemes training was successful. Also, a greater degree of performative usage was seen in the relating to objects training group. These results offer relatively strong evidence for a relationship between these sensorimotor and communicative abilities.
D002663:Child Language; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity