Developmental Study of Recognition of Antecedents of Infant Vocalizations

Abstract

The identification of antecedents of infant vocalizations was asked of 321 children from 7 to 13 yr. of age. Four categories were used: pain, hunger, birth, and pleasure. All subjects performed at better than chance level, with older subjects performing as well as a prior sample of adults. The only significant variable found was age; older subjects performed better than younger subjects. It was concluded that children can reliably identify the antecedents of infant cries.