| Literature DB >> 26196417 |
M Monnot1.
Abstract
The relationship between a biological process and a behavioral trait indicates a proximate mechanism by which natural selection can act. In that context, examining an aspect of infant health is one method of investigating the adaptive significance of infant-directed speech (ID speech), and it could help to explain the widespread use of this communication style. The correlation between infant growth and infant-directed speech is positive and significant, and provides a vehicle for testing evolutionary history hypotheses.Entities:
Keywords: Adaptation; Emotional prosody; Human evolution; Infant growth; Infant-directed speech; Mother-infant interaction; Motherese; Semantic category; Universality
Year: 1999 PMID: 26196417 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-999-1010-0
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Hum Nat ISSN: 1045-6767