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The Rhythmic, Sonorous and Melodic Components of Adult-Child-Object Interactions Between 2 and 6 Months Old

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Abstract

Adults mediate the relationship between material reality and children, according to functional units of cultural relevance. This paper explores early development of semiotic systems in infants, analyzing rhythmic, sonorous and melodic components, which enable adult-child interaction with and about objects. The triads (with sonorous and non-sonorous objects) was studied longitudinally at age 2, 4 and 6 months. We propose that rhythmic, sonorous and melodic components conformed one of the basic semiotic systems upon the adult's action relies (through gestures and uses of objects) in order to segment and organize objects in the world. Likewise, children actively respond to these presentations and seek sounds for themselves when they are able to interact with the object more autonomously.

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Notes

  1. The same object was used in a case study of self-regulation function in private gestures on a 18 months old girl with Down Syndrome (Rodríguez and Palacios 2007).

  2. Glissandos are cascades of sounds produced by the adult in an ascending or descending manner.

  3. Ostensive gestures, as happens between adults, were eliminated from this classification because they are produced in a static manner and, therefore, they do not involve either rhythm, nor sound.

  4. Only the sequences of action with the sonorous rings were noted because the adult preferably used them.

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Acknowledgments

This study was granted by the Program “Formación de Profesorado Universitario” (Training for University Teachers), of the Ministry of Education, Spain, to what the first author belongs during the period 2009–2014. It was supported for the I + D + i project EDU2011-27840 as well, of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain. We also thank the collaboration of Edgardo Miranda (Universidad de la Frontera, Chile), as a methodology consultant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Europea de Madrid, Campus de Villaviciosa. C/ Tajo, s/n, 28670, Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid, Spain

    Ana Moreno-Núñez

  2. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    Cintia Rodríguez & María Jesús Del Olmo

Authors
  1. Ana Moreno-Núñez
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  2. Cintia Rodríguez
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  3. María Jesús Del Olmo
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Correspondence to Ana Moreno-Núñez.

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Highlights:

We explore how early development of semiotic systems enable triadic interactions.

We propose that early triadic interactions have a communicative/educational nature.

Rhythm could be one of the first semiotic systems, and an instrument of communication.

Children easily respond to the adult’s rhythmic-sonorous proposals.

Adults favor rhythmic, sonorous and melodic components to interact with babies from 2 to 6 months.

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Moreno-Núñez, A., Rodríguez, C. & Del Olmo, M.J. The Rhythmic, Sonorous and Melodic Components of Adult-Child-Object Interactions Between 2 and 6 Months Old. Integr. psych. behav. 49, 737–756 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-015-9298-2

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