Building the bond: Exploring the social functions of infant-directed speech and song

Abstract

The bond between an infant and their primary caregiver plays a pivotal role in the infant’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Central to this bonding process is affective communication, a dynamic and multifaceted aspect of the caregiver-infant relationship. This review delves into the emotional dimensions of two primary modes of affective communication during infants’ first year of life: infant-directed (ID) speech and infant-directed song. We directly compare literature using a side by side approach, focusing on how caregivers convey emotion, and how infants respond to such emotion, in ID speech and song. While existing research has recognized the affective nature of both phenomenons, questions persist regarding the role ID speech and song play in real world interactions during the formation of the parent-infant relationship. To answer this, we dive deep into the social-emotional nuances of both channels, discuss the potential significance towards caregiver-infant bonding, and propose new paths to studying the parent-infant relationship through infant-directed vocalizations.