In the everyday environment, we receive information from various sensory inputs, and yet, we perceive and integrate the incoming information in a way that is meaningful. Remarkably, infants and toddlers are capable of sensory integration early in life. By integrating information, particularly speech, infants ultimately learn to reproduce language by late toddlerhood. These language skills form a foundation for learning and achievement later in life, and there is documented evidence that language skills vary by experiences related to socioeconomic status (SES). Language disparities can be measured early in development, and continue to divide throughout childhood. Although there is clear evidence that language learning trajectories are influenced by SES, less is known about multisensory integration (MSI) as they are measured here and how these skills may differ as a function of SES. Here, MSI was investigated to gain insight into the potential changes that occur in MSI and expressive vocabulary for 68 toddlers between 18 months and 24-months. Finally, this relationship was investigated in the context of SES. At 18-months, toddlers demonstrated significant matching for nonsocial conditions, and at 24-months toddlers also matched for low competition social trials, thus demonstrating an improvement in matching from 18 to 24-months. There were no significant relationships between MSI and expressive vocabulary, and only one unexpected relationship between MSI and SES. These findings extend the research from Bahrick and colleagues (2018) by supplementing the previously studied 12-month-olds and 2-5-year-olds with an earlier age (e.g., 18-months), and open new doors for studying toddlers’ emerging social MSI. / M.S. / In the everyday environment, we experience various sights and sounds from multiple sources, and yet, we perceive the incoming information in a way that is meaningful. Infants and toddlers are also capable of combining multiple sources of information together in a way that is beneficial for language learning. Merging sensory information (e.g., correctly matching their mother’s voice to their mother) creates a foundation for language learning. There is evidence that suggests language abilities differ as a result of socioeconomic status (SES), and can be found early in development and continue to progress into childhood. Although research indicates differences in language arise as a result of SES, it is unclear whether the ability to merge multiple sources of information (also known as multisensory integration), particularly while experiencing competing information (e.g., noise, multiple speakers) also differs as a result of SES.
Here, the ability to integrate multiple sources of information and vocabulary in young toddlers ages 18-months and 24-months was studied to understand whether these skills progress with age and also whether they differ as a result of SES. 18-month-olds demonstrated better integration of sensory information when blocks were falling (e.g., nonsocial event) than when women were shown on the screen speaking in child-directed speech (e.g., social event). At 24- months, toddlers also correctly matched the information of the social event when there was no competing information on the screen, thus improving social integration from 18-months. There were no significant relationships between MSI and vocabulary, and only one relationship between MSI and SES. More research will need to be conducted to understand the improvement of social integration from 18 to 24-months, and more questions will need to be addressed on how SES may play a role in integrating information.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/104084 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Taylor, Caroline |
| Contributors | Psychology, Panneton, Robin K., Choi, Koeun, Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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