Assessing Parental Conversational Overlap in a Museum Setting and Its Correlation with Child Language Skills

Author

Madison Gould, University of New Hampshire, DurhamFollow

Date of Award

Spring 2023

Project Type

Senior Honors Thesis

College or School

CHHS

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

First Advisor

Jill Thorson

Second Advisor

Kathryn Greenslade

Abstract

Research has identified the importance of quality interactions with parents, caregivers, and peers in the promotion of language acquisition. We question how certain aspects of parental language, primarily repetition, expansion, and extension, correlate with child language skills. There is limited research available regarding the impact of conversational overlap on a child’s language development at a singular time point, with most studies being longitudinal, especially when assessing conversations between children and their caregivers in different settings, such as a museum exhibit. Our findings suggest that children need less parental recasting as they age and as their language skills are bolstered.

Recommended Citation

Gould, Madison, "Assessing Parental Conversational Overlap in a Museum Setting and Its Correlation with Child Language Skills" (2023). Honors Theses and Capstones. 770.
https://scholars.unh.edu/honors/770