Language development in context: Influences of perinatal risk and environmental characteristics on outcomes at 14 to 36 months
Item
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Title
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Language development in context: Influences of perinatal risk and environmental characteristics on outcomes at 14 to 36 months
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:0101679532a1:11910
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identifier
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12556
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Creator
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Poulakos, Anthoula,
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Contributor
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Patricia Brooks
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Date
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2013
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Developmental psychology | Cognitive psychology | ENVIRONMENT | INFANCY | LANGUAGE | LOW INCOME | PERINATAL RISK | PRESCHOOL
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Abstract
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Research has emphasized the importance of the social context for understanding early language development. However, the extant literature lacks a single multivariate model that concurrently examines influences of the home environment, the dynamics of mother-child interaction (e.g., joint attention, negativity), maternal characteristics (e.g., education, mental health) and child risk factors (e.g., perinatal risk) on longitudinal language and cognitive outcomes during infancy.;Using data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSRE), collected at ages 14, 24, and 36 months, I hypothesized that (a) infants develop language abilities in the context of adult-mediated interactions, (b) child cognition facilitates language development, (c) the presence of environmental risk factors in the home and perinatal risk due to prematurity have negative impacts on language development, which are mediated by the mothers' mental health and education, and d) the relationships in the 14-month time period will be predictive of language outcomes at 24 and 36 months.;The EHSRE observed children and their parents at 17 sites across the U.S; I used a subset of the EHSRE sample (N = 2,245) comprising children who were native English speakers. The families were from middle to lower SES backgrounds with an almost even distribution among boys (N=1,141) and girls (N=1,104). To test my hypotheses I used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via a multistep model-building approach. My 14-month model identified direct and indirect effects of perinatal risk, child cognition, joint attention, negative mother-child interaction, maternal mental health, and home environment on language outcomes. Furthermore, measures at 14 months successfully predicted language outcomes at 24 and 36 months. Thus, the direct and indirect influences of the home environment, mother-child interaction, as well as maternal characteristics and child risk factors at 14 months were highly predictive of language development outcomes at 14 months, and at time points extending into the preschool years.;The findings suggest the need for early interventions involving high-risk infants and their families, as child, maternal and environmental risk factors at the first year of life are strongly predictive of outcomes into the preschool years.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
