title: Exploring the Relation Between Memory, Gestural Communication, and the Emergence of Language in Infancy: A Longitudinal Study.
abstract: The relationship between recall memory, visual recognition memory, social communication, and the emergence of language skills was measured in a longitudinal study. Thirty typically developing Swedish children were tested at 6, 9 and 14 months. The result showed that, in combination, visual recognition memory at 6 months, deferred imitation at 9 months and turn-taking skills at 14 months could explain 41% of the variance in the infants' production of communicative gestures as measured by a Swedish variant of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDI). In this statistical model, deferred imitation stood out as the strongest predictor.
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heimann
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Strid
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tjus
authors.forename: Stein Erik
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Ulvund
authors.forename: Andrew N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Meltzoff