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Does reading to infants benefit their cognitive development at 9-months-old? An investigation using a large birth cohort survey

DOI:10.1177/0265659013513813
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Aisling Murray
Aisling Murray
Aisling Murray
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Suzanne M Egan at Mary Immaculate College University of Limerick
Suzanne M Egan
  • Mary Immaculate College University of Limerick
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Abstract

This study uses a nationally representative sample of 9-month-old infants and their families from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study to investigate if reading to infants is associated with higher scores on contemporaneous indicators of cognitive development independently of other languagebased interactions between parent and infant, such as showing them pictures or talking to them. Reading to infants had an independent positive effect on scores for both the problem-solving and communication subscales of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), while the positive effect of showing pictures was independent only for communication scores. The effects of both of these activities were, however, less substantial than the positive effect observed for the more informal activity of frequently talking to the infant while doing other things; and this was observed for both communication and problem-solving. The analyses were robust to adjustment for several other factors including maternal education, gestational age, non-parental care, breastfeeding, attachment and presence of siblings. The findings highlight the potential of reading and talking to infants, not just for language and literacy development but also for other aspects of cognitive development.
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... The cognitive benefits of beginning to read together during the first year of life are increasingly being identified (e.g., Farrant & Zubrick, 2013;Muhinyi & Rowe, 2019;Raikes et al., 2006). For example, parental report of reading with infants at 9 months is positively associated with infants' communication and problem-solving skills, as measured using the subscales of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ; Squires & Bricker, 2009), suggesting that book reading may be associated with not just language but also broader cognitive skills (Murray & Egan, 2014). Similarly, frequency of book reading activities with 9-month-old infants were also found to significantly predict expressive vocabulary skills at 36 months (Leech et al., 2022). ...
... Muhinyi and Rowe's (2019) findings provide a snapshot of the features of shared book reading at 10 months that predict child language learning. At about the same age, a positive relationship has been reported by Murray and Egan (2014) between parental reports of reading to their 9-month-old infant and the infants' problem-solving skills, as measured on the ASQ. ...
... Given that the present study is interested in understanding the relevant relations with infants' language and cognitive development, only 'communication' and 'problem-solving' subscales were reported in this study. The ASQ has been used in previous shared book reading studies to measure variation in young preverbal infants' early communication and cognitive development (e.g., Murray & Egan, 2014). ...
Mother–infant shared book reading in the first year of life
Article
This study examined verbal and non-verbal features of mother–infant shared book reading in Australia during the first year of life and explored the relationship between these features and infant cognition. Mother–infant dyads were observed in this cross-sectional study reading an unfamiliar book in a laboratory setting when infants were aged 6 months (n = 17), 9 months (n = 14), or 12 months (n = 17). High frequency maternal behaviours coded from video were the production of attention attracting behaviours, immediate talk, and verbal encouragement to maintain infant book engagement. Few significant relationships were found for infant problem-solving scores. Infant communication scores were however associated with non-immediate talk at 6 months, maternal questions at 9 months, and non-book related talk at 12 months. Shared book reading provides opportunities for verbal responsiveness and literacy engagement which likely serve as an important vehicle for facilitating early cognitive development.
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... Se ha destacado que los libros propicios para este tipo de intercambios son los que tienen imágenes realistas y sin texto (eg., DeLoache et al., 2003;Murray & Egan, 2014;Shinkey, 2020). Esta elección se sustenta en la ventaja de utilizar símbolos que parecen transparentes, sencillos y accesibles para los pequeños. ...
... Sin embargo, se ha destacado que la interacción con el libro impreso requiere el despliegue de estrategias sensorio-motrices, cognitivas y lingüísticas específicas (Eggleston et al., 2022;Furenes et al., 2021;Schilhab et al., 2018). Si bien, se ha explorado muy ampliamente el impacto de la interacción con libros en el desarrollo del lenguaje y la comunicación (eg., Bus et al., 1995;Caravolas et al., 2019;Chan, 2022;Groling, 2020;Hjetland et al., 2019;Murray & Egan, 2014;Muhinyi & Rowe, 2019;Ninio & Bruner, 1978;Snow & Goldfield, 1983) no ha sido tan explorado el desarrollo del uso convencional del libro impreso como objeto cultural durante la primera infancia (Cárdenas et al., 2020;Contin & Rodríguez, 2021;Rodríguez & Moreno-Llanos, 2020). ...
... Se ha destacado la importancia de propiciar entornos de lectura incluso antes del año de vida (eg., Egan et al., 2021;Karrass et al., 2003;Leech et al., 2022;Logan et al., 2019;Mareovich & Peralta, 2017;Muhinyi & Rowe, 2019;Salley et al., 2022) debido a su impacto positivo en el desarrollo de la comunicación y el lenguaje (eg., Bus et al., 1995;Caravolas et al., 2019;Chan, 2022;Groling, 2020;Hjetland et al., 2019;Murray & Egan, 2014;Ninio & Bruner, 1978;Rowe, 2019;Snow & Goldfield, 1983). Sin embargo, el análisis de las intervenciones de los/as bebés sobre los libros impresos antes del año de vida ha sido poco explorado (Cárdenas et al., 2020;Contin & Rodríguez, 2021;Rodríguez & Moreno-Llanos, 2020). ...
Análisis de las Intervenciones de Bebés de 9 Meses durante la Lectura Compartida
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2023
La lectura compartida es frecuente en la infancia. Sin embargo, la participación de infantes menores de un año en esta actividad ha sido poco explorada. Este trabajo describe y analiza las intervenciones de bebés de 9 meses en la lectura conjunta materno-infantil en hogares argentinos. Transcribimos y analizamos filmaciones realizadas por 10 madres. Clasificamos las intervenciones en: acción responsiva o espontánea; vocalización responsiva o espontánea; acción responsiva + vocalización; acción espontánea + vocalización. Los bebés realizaron mayoritariamente acciones espontáneas (con o sin vocalizaciones). Luego, clasificamos las acciones (con o sin vocalizaciones) en: convencionales (pasar la página, señalar) o manipulativas (morder, sacudir los libros); otras no orientadas (tomar otro objeto, mirar fuera del escenario). Encontramos que las acciones fueron principalmente manipulativas. Finalmente, clasificamos las acciones en: inespecíficas (morder el libro, sacudirlo) u orientadas (intentar agarrar los objetos representados). Predominaron las acciones inespecíficas. Los hallazgos muestran bebés sensoriomotores en exploración. Sin embargo, algunas intervenciones revelaron también un incipiente desarrollo simbólico al usar los libros convencionalmente y reconocer las imágenes como objetos simbólicos. La lectura compartida es un escenario en el que se accede a diversos sistemas de representación (imágenes, números, letras), permitiendo desarrollar tempranamente un potencial simbólico en contextos sociales relevantes.
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... Reading and playing with peers in infancy and toddlerhood have been shown to have lasting impacts on child development. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Being read to at home in infancy and early childhood benefits child communication and problem-solving skills. 25,26,29 Play with peers may also confer vast benefits for learning socialization skills that translate into the classroom, [22][23][24]27 as well as cognitive and motor skills. ...
... [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Being read to at home in infancy and early childhood benefits child communication and problem-solving skills. 25,26,29 Play with peers may also confer vast benefits for learning socialization skills that translate into the classroom, [22][23][24]27 as well as cognitive and motor skills. 28,30,31 Play is a primary mode of learning in early childhood. ...
Displacement of peer play by screen time: associations with toddler development
Article
  • Aug 2022
Background: Young children's digital media use may adversely affect child development, but the mechanisms of this association are unclear. We evaluated whether screen time displaces reading and peer play time, which are subsequently associated with child development. Methods: When children were 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months, mothers (n = 3894) reported the time their children spent on screens, being read to by an adult, and playing with other children. At 36 months, mothers completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire©, an assessment of their child's developmental status. Results: In unadjusted models, screen time from 12 to 36 months was not associated with reading but was associated with less time engaging in play with peers. In adjusted models accounting for developmental delay at 12 months, family and child characteristics, screen time was not directly associated with developmental delay. More peer play time was associated with a lower likelihood of developmental delay, and having higher screen time increased the likelihood of developmental delay indirectly through reduced peer play time. Results were similar for developmental delays in fine and gross motor, communication, and personal-social domains. Conclusions: Screen time in early childhood did not displace reported time spent reading, but did displace reported peer play time. Impact: Among children 1-3 years of age, more screen time was associated with less time engaged in peer play but not less reading with an adult. Having higher screen time from 1 to 3 years increased the odds of developmental delay indirectly through reduced peer play time. Ensuring that children engage in adequate time playing with peers may offset the negative associations between screen time and child development.
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... One key disparity is in early childhood development (ECD): whereas children under age three in urban areas have rates of developmental delays around 15% [27], a systematic review of child development before age three among rural populations across China found rates of cognitive delay (defined as one standard deviation below the mean of a healthy population) around 45% and rates of language delay around 46% [28]. Studies examining the source of those delays have found that a large fraction of rural caregivers do not regularly engage in interactive parent-child activities such as reading, telling stories and singing [29], which are known to stimulate early cognitive and language development [30][31][32][33][34]. ...
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The home language environment is a critical point of investment in early language skills. However, few studies have quantitatively measured the home language environment of low-socioeconomic-status households in non-western settings. This mixed methods study describes the home language environment and early child language skills among households in a low-socioeconomic-status, peri-urban district of Chengdu, China, and identifies factors influencing parental investment in the home language environment. Audio recordings were collected from 81 peri-urban households with children ages 18–24 months and analysed using the Language Environment Analysis (LENA TM ) system. The Mandarin version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory was administered to each child’s primary caregiver. The quantitative results revealed large variation in home language environments and child language skills among the sample, with relatively low average scores when compared to other Chinese samples. Qualitative interviews with a subset of 31 caregivers revealed that many caregivers face constraints on their knowledge of interactive parenting, compounded, in some households, by time constraints due to work or household responsibilities. The findings indicate a need for increased sources of credible parenting information for peri-urban caregivers of young children to promote investment in the home language environment.
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... However, it is important to note these parents were part of a book gifting scheme which may have influenced their views. For example, in the large, nationally representative Growing Up in Ireland study, 19.5% of infants were not read to at 9 months of age (Murray & Egan, 2014;Leech et al., 2022). This suggests there were higher rates of reading with these 7-9-month-old infants in the current study, than in the general population as measured through the GUI study. ...
From stories at bedtime to a love of reading: Parental practices and beliefs About reading with infants
Article
Full-text available
Although it is well established that reading with young children supports early language and literacy development, few studies have focused on the importance of parental beliefs about reading with infants. The current study, which sheds light on parental beliefs had three main aims. The first was to examine practices of shared reading in infancy (birth to 1 year old), while the second, sought to examine parents’ views on benefits of and potential barriers to reading with infants. The third aim was to explore how parents’ beliefs about reading, and their own enjoyment of reading, may influence the early home literacy environment they create for their infants. Drawing upon a mixed methods approach, comprising surveys and interviews with parents of infants ( n = 31), this paper highlights the importance of parents’ own enjoyment of reading. The findings, which are considered from a bioecological perspective, indicate that parents’ enjoyment of reading was significantly and positively associated with the number of children’s books in their home, and the frequency of reading with their infant, as well as their hope for their child’s future enjoyment of reading. Parents noted that one of the main benefits of reading with their infants related to socio-emotional development and the one-to-one time, rather than the language and literacy benefits, which constitute the focus of much research in this area. The findings further point to an intergenerational transfer of a love of reading.
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... In each of the three waves, a questionnaire was administered to the primary caregivers to assess their parenting practices. The questionnaire included four questions that have been shown to be indicators of parenting practices closely associated with child development [39][40][41]. The primary caregiver of each child was asked if they engaged with their child in any of the following four activities on the day before we delivered the survey to each household: "Did you tell stories to your child yesterday?"; ...
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Differential Effects of Home Literacy Experiences on the Development of Oral and Written Language
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Full-text available
ABSTRACTS We examined whether storybook exposure and the amount of teaching in reading and writing skills reported by middle class parents were related to the oral‐language skills (receptive vocabulary, listening comprehension, and phoneme awareness) and the written‐language skills (concepts about book reading, alphabet knowledge, reading CVC words, and invented spelling) of children in kindergarten ( n = 110) and Grade 1 ( n = 47). Hierarchical regression analyses that controlled for parents' print exposure and children's age and analytic intelligence showed that storybook exposure explained statistically significant unique variance in children's oral‐language skills but not in their written‐language skills. In contrast, parent teaching explained statistically significant unique variance in children's written‐language skills but not in their oral‐language skills. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that storybook exposure may enhance children's oral‐language skills whereas additional support in the form of teaching may be necessary to enhance written‐language skills. At the end of Grade 1, children's oral and written language performance accounted for 20% of the variance in word reading, but storybook exposure and parent teaching did not account for additional statistically significant unique variance. These findings suggest that the association between early home literacy experiences and later reading skills may be mediated through children's oral‐ and written‐language skills. EXAMINAMOS SI la exposición a libros de cuentos y la cantidad de experiencias de enseñanza de habilidades de lectura y escritura, obtenidas a partir de los informes de padres de clase media, estaban relacionadas con las habilidades de lenguaje oral (vocabulario receptivo, comprensión oral y concienca fonológica) y con las habilidades de lenguaje escrito (conceptos sobre la lectura de libros, conocimiento del alfabeto, lectura de palabras CVC y escrituras inventadas). Participaron del estudio niños de preescolar ( n = 110) y 1er. Grado ( n = 47). Los análisis de regresión jerárquica, controlando la exposisción a la lengua escrita de los padres y, la edad de los niños y la inteligencia analítica, mostraron que la exposición a libros de cuentos explicó una proporción única estadísticamente significativa de la variancia en las habilidades de lenguaje oral pero no en las habilidades de lenguaje escrito. Por el contrario, la enseñanza de los padres explicó una proporción única estadísticamente significativa de la variancia en las habilidades de lenguaje escrito pero no en las habilidades de lenguaje oral. Estos hallazgos son consistentes con la hipótesis de que la exposición a libros de cuentos puede mejorar las habilidades de lenguaje oral de los niños, en tanto que puede ser necesario un apoyo adicional en la forma de enseñar para mejorar las habilidades de lenguaje escrito. A fines de 1er. Grado, el desempeño oral y escrito de los niños dió cuenta del 20% de la variancia en lectura de palabras, pero la exposición a libros de cuentos y la enseñanza de los padres no explicó una proporción adicional estadísticamente significativa de la variancia. Estos hallazgos sugieren que la asociación entre las experiencias de alfabetización tempranas en el hogar y las habilidades de lectura posteriores pueden estar mediadas por las habilidades de lenguaje oral y escrito de los niños. UNTERSUCHTEN, ob der Einfluß von Geschichten und die Unterrichtsanzahl beim Vermitteln von Lese‐ und Schreibfertigkeiten, wie von Eltern der Mittelschicht berichtet, in einer Beziehung mit den mündlichen Sprachfertigkeiten (rezeptiver Wortschatz, Hörverständnis und phonemische Aufnahmefähigkeit) standen, und verglichen sprachliche Schreibfertigkeiten (Konzepte zum Buchlesen, Kenntnis des Alphabets, Lesen von CVC [Consonant‐Vowel‐Consonant bzw. Konsonant‐Vokal‐Konsonant] Worten und ersonnenes Buchstabieren) von Kindern im Kindergarten ( n = 110) und in der 1. Klasse ( n = 47). Hierarchische Regressionsanalysen zur kontrollierten Bemessung des elterlichen Aufwands an Druckmaterial, dem Alter der Kinder und deren analytischer Intelligenz zeigten, daß der Bucheinfluß von Geschichten statistisch eine deutliche, ausgeprägte Abweichung bei der Bemessung der mündlichen Sprachfähigkeiten bei diesen Kindern aufweist, jedoch nicht bei deren Schreibfähigkeiten. Im Widerspruch dazu ergab elterlicher Unterricht statistisch wesentliche Abweichungen bei den Schreibfertigkeiten der Kinder, jedoch nicht bei deren mündlichen Sprachfähigkeiten. Diese Erkenntnisse befinden sich im Einklang mit der Hypothese, daß das Anbieten bzw. Lesen von Geschichten aus Büchern mündliche Sprachfertigkeiten steigern kann, wobei zusätzliche Unterstützung in Form von Unterricht nötig werden könnte, um schriftliche Sprachfähigkeiten zu fördern. Mit Abschluß der 1. Klasse betrug die Veränderung in der mündlichen und schriftlichen Sprachleistung 20% beim Lesen von Worten, jedoch konnte die Heranführung an Geschichten aus Büchern und der elterliche Unterricht statistisch nicht mehr als besonders herausragende Abweichung nachgewiesen werden. Diese Befunde lassen vermuten, daß die Verbindung zwischen frühzeitigen Sprachausbildungserfahrungen zu Hause und späteren Leseleistungen durch erworbene mündliche und schriftliche Sprachfertigkeiten der Kinder vermittelt wird. NOUS AVONS examiné si l'exposition à la lecture de livres de jeunesse et la place faite à l'enseignement de la lecture et de l'écriture, tels que rapportés par des parents de classe moyenne, sont liés aux compétences en langue parlée (vocabulaire passif, compréhension du discours, et conscience phonémique) et écrite (représentation de la lecture de livres, connaissance de l'alphabet, lecture de mots CVC, et écriture inventée) chez des enfants de maternelle ( n =110) et de première année ( n = 47). Des analyses de régression hiérarchique contrôlant l'exposition à l'écrit par les parents, l'âge de l'enfant et l'intelligence analytique ont montré que l'exposition à la lecture de livres de jeunesse rend compte d'une variation statistiquement significative des compétences en langue parlée des enfants, mais pas de leurs compétences en langue écrite. Par contre, l'enseignement effectué par les parents rend compte d'une variation statistiquement significative des compétences en langue écrite des enfants, mais non de leurs compétences en langue parlée. Ces résultats sont en harmonie avec l'hypothèse que l'exposition à la lecture de livres de jeunesse permet d'améliorer les compétences des enfants en langue parlée, tandis qu'un apport supplémentaire sous forme d'enseignement peut s'avérer nécessaire pour améliorer leurs compétences en langue écrite. En fin de première année, la connaissance qu'ont les enfants du langage oral et écrit rend compte de 20% de la variance en lecture de livres, alors que l'exposition à la lecture de livres de jeunesse et l'enseignement effectué par les parents n'apportent pas de contribution supplémentaire à la variance. Ces résultats suggèrent qu'il est possible que l'association entre les expériences initiales de lecture‐écriture à la maison et les compétences ultérieures en lecture‐écriture soient médiatisées par les compétences des enfants en langue orale et écrite.
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Article
  • Feb 1998
In most research involving maternal infant attachment, the attachment construct has been assessed by behavioural observation. The problems inherent in this approach, including its high cost and labour-intensive nature, are briefly reviewed. It is suggested that the behavioural approach could be usefully complemented by enquiry into the mother's subjective experiences towards her infant. The development of a 19 item self-report questionnaire to assess mother-to-infant attachment is described. Using a sample of approximately 200 women assessed at 4 weeks, 4 months and 8 months postnatally, the psychometric properties of the instrument are presented. Acceptable levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability were found. The factor structure of the questionnaire revealed four factors which accounted for approximately 40% of the variance in attachment scores: pleasure in proximity, acceptance, tolerance, and competence as parent. Evidence supporting the construct validity of the questionnaire is presented. Use of the questionnaire approach enables the use of much larger samples of mother-infant dyads, and thus provides a potential avenue for future exploration of the determinants of attachment (or detachment). The criterion validity of the instrument has yet to be established by comparison with behavioural measures.
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Parents and children engaging in storybook reading
Article
Family literacy studies have shown that the role of parental storybook reading has an impact on children’s success in school‐based literacy instruction. Storybook reading is when adults read an appropriate text to their children. This review describes studies in which parents and children engage in storybook reading. It specifically reports studies that discuss how parents (1) present formal and informal storybook literacy experiences, (2) engage children in storybook reading, (3) interact with their children during storybook reading, (4) participate in storybook intervention programmes, and (5) relate storybook reading to children’s literacy experiences. The results of these studies indicate that storybook reading promotes children’s language growth, emergent literacy and reading achievement. Thus, family literacy studies have shown that parental storybook reading has an impact on the children’s success in school‐based literacy instruction.
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Vocabulary Growth of Head Start Children Participating in a Mothers' Reading Program
Article
This study involved two groups of Head Start children and their mothers in two centers in a county in East Tennessee. Mothers in one group read to their children at least 15 minutes a day from a variety of picture story books considered appropriate for this group of children. The other group of children had the opportunity to take home toys from a toy library, but mothers were not asked to work with the children.As measured by a picture vocabulary test, the children experiencing the reading program made significant gains as compared to the group utilizing the toy library. This study provides further evidence for involving low-income mothers in the education of their children.
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