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ABSTRACT
We compared speech acts and complexity of maternal speech to firstborn dizygotic twin and singleton infants. Nine twins and nine singletons were video-recorded at home in spontaneous face-to-face interactions with their mothers, from the 2nd to the 6th month. Continuous micro-analysis revealed that (a) open-ended questions, direct requests, disapprovals and complex utterances predominated in mothers’ speech of singletons compared to twins; and (b) mothers of singletons and mothers of twins showed age-related variations in questions and in certain forms of complexity, respectively. In the framework of the theory of innate intersubjectivity, these results show that mothers of twins and mothers of singletons share the ability to adjust sensitively to their young infants’ expressive behaviours.
Acknowledgements
We are deeply indebted to the infants and their families for offering their time, cooperation and patience to participate in the study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Informed consent
Parents were informed about the procedure of the study, and asked to sign the consent form prior to video-recordings.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Theano Kokkinaki
Theano Kokkinaki is Professor of Developmental Psychology at the Department of Psychology of the University of Crete (Greece). She completed her PhD at the Department of Psychology of the University of Edinburgh. Her research interests are focused on the study of spontaneous naturalistic dyadic and triadic interactions of infants with Significant Others (mothers, fathers, twin sisters/brothers, grandparents) cross-culturally and in different contexts (rural and urban areas). She has over 65 publications in international/Greek peer-reviewed journals and chapters in books in the field of infant development, inter-generational relationships and intersubjective communication. She is also reviewer, member of Editorial/Advisory Board and member of Associate Editors in over 30 international peer-reviewed journals.
Maria Markodimitraki
Maria Markodimitraki is Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology at the Department of Preschool Education of the University of Crete (Greece). She completed her PhD at the Department of Philosophy and Social Studies of the University of Crete. Her research interests are focused on the study of spontaneous naturalistic dyadic and triadic interactions of twin and non-twin infants with Significant Others (mothers, fathers, sisters/brothers, grandparents), on the impact of pets in human development and on family issues in the context of typical and atypical development. She has over 40 publications in international / Greek peer-reviewed journals and chapters in books in the field of infant development, psycho-pedagogy, special education, inter-generational relationships and intersubjective communication. She is also reviewer in international peer-reviewed journals.
V. G. S. Vasdekis
Vasilios Vasdekis is Professor in Statistics in the Department of Statistics of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB, Greece). He completed his PhD at the Department of Statistics, University of Oxford. His research interests are longitudinal data modeling, categorical data, latent variable models, inference using composite likelihoods and analysis of controlled clinical trials. He has over 40 publications in international peer-reviewed journals and chapters in books. He is reviewer in many international peer-reviewed journals.