Verbal encouragement and joint attention in 18-month-old infants

The effects of three different attention-directing actions toward familiar and unfamiliar objects on 18-month-olds' frequency of establishing and maintaining episodes of joint attention were examined. The results demonstrated that the addition of verbal information to gestures promoted longer but not more episodes of joint attention. The results also indicated that adults' verbal encouragements were particularly effective in promoting joint attention when the infant was unfamiliar with the target object. The results are discussed in terms of the role different gestures play in the promotion and continuation of joint attention in infancy. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.