Mother-Infant Coordination of Vocalization and Affect

关于母婴关系的大量研究都是基于母亲的面部表情是主要的交流媒介这一假设进行的。科恩和摩尔假设声音互动的作用更大；如果这是真的，那么以前的研究可能严重低估了婴儿对母亲行为的反应程度。该研究将研究母亲说话的频率和模式，以确定这些变量与母亲情感行为的强度和婴儿注意力的关系。在注意力方面，研究将试图确定特定的母亲的发声是否会影响特定的婴儿行为。最后，将研究声音和面部影响的发展变化。这项研究有望对围绕在母亲和婴儿之间的亲密关系周围的谜团，以及最终影响婴儿关键发育过程的因素，提供强有力的线索。

Considerable research on the mother-infant bond has proceeded on the assumption that mothers' facial expression is the principal medium of communication. Cohn and Moore hypothesize a much stronger role for vocal interaction; if this is true, then previous studies might seriously underestimate the extent to which infants are responsive to their mothers' behavior. The research will study the frequency and patterning of mothers' speech, to determine the relationship of these variables to the intensity of mothers' affective behaviors and infants' attention. In attention, the research will seek to determine if specific mothers' vocalizations influence specific infant behaviors. Finally, developmental shifts in vocal-vs-facial influence will be studied. This research promises to throw a powerful light on the mysteries surrounding the bonding of mothers and their infants, and ultimately on the factors that influence crucial developmental processes in infancy.