title: From interactions to conversations: the development of joint engagement during early childhood.
abstract: This research traces the development of symbol-infused joint engagement during mother-child interactions into the preschool years. Forty-nine children, who had been previously observed as toddlers (L. B. Adamson, R. Bakeman, & D. F. Deckner, ), were systematically observed during interactions with their mothers at ages 3½, 4½, and 5½ during activities related to the past and future, internal states, and graphic systems. Although the amount of symbol-infused joint engagement reached a ceiling by 3½, its focus continued to become more complex and its form more balanced. Individual differences in children's symbol-infused joint engagement were stable across 4 years. These findings highlight both how joint engagement is transformed as conversational skills develop and how it remains rooted in earlier interactions and supported by caregiver's actions.
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University.
authors.forename: Lauren B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Adamson
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bakeman
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University.
authors.forename: Deborah F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Deckner
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University.
authors.forename: P Brooke
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*