Comprehension of Social-Action Games in Prelinguistic Children

Levels of Participation and Effect of Adult Structure

¹ University of Washington, Seattle

We currently lack a systematic approach to examine the emergence of social-action games during the prelinguistic period of development. Although social-action games have been identified as being an important part of prelinguistic development, a systematic approach to examine their emergence has been lacking. Further, research has yet to analyze how contextual variables affect a child's comprehension and participation during these action routines. Results of the present study document changes in the development of social-action games in 29 normally developing subjects from 9 to 15 months and support a developmental hierarchy of social-action game participation. The results also reflect the effect of adult structure on the subject's level of performance and reveal a significant relationship between adult contextual support and child performance. The implications of the findings are summarized.

Key Words: comprehension • social-action games • context • prelinguistic

Submitted on February 13, 1989
Accepted on August 11, 1989

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