title: The relation between coordinated interpersonal timing and maternal sensitivity in four-month-old infants.
abstract: The relation between mother-infant coordinated interpersonal timing, an automated microanalytic measure of dyadic vocal coordination, and maternal sensitivity was explored. Thirty-five mothers and their developmentally normal 4-month-old infants were audio-recorded during a 20-min laboratory vocal interaction session, that was later analyzed for degree of vocal coordination. Maternal Sensitivity ratings (Ainsworth & Bell, 1969) were based on a video-taped 45-min unstructured laboratory interaction period. A significant curvilinear relation between the degree to which mother coordinated her noninterruptive co-occurring speech to that of her infant was found and revealed that mothers highest in sensitivity were characterized by moderate levels of coordination. Examining mother-infant interaction at the specific behavioral level, while incorporating tests of nonlinear trends, may provide important information about the nature of sensitive parenting.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, USA. ahane@wam.umd.edu
authors.forename: Amie Ashley
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hane
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Feldstein
authors.forename: Valerie H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Dernetz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D013997:Time Factors; D014705:Verbal Behavior