Maternal Scaffolding of Play and Thinking in the Infant/Toddler

PeriodRelationships to Later IQ

The Study

• Longitudinal study investigating the early development of high ability/gifted children and the role of maternal scaffolding in that development

Background

• Research on early development of high ability children indicates:– Bi-directional influences– Advanced learning in ZPD’s (Kanevsky, 1990)

and more challenging scaffolding (Moss, 1990)

Study Design

• 21 mother-child dyads

• Videotaped monthly play sessions

• Three 5 minute samples when children aged 8-11, 11-13, and 16-17 months

• Child IQ (Stanford-Binet IV) at 5 years

Measures

• Child pretend play level and frequency

• Mothers’ pretend play level and frequency

• Mothers’ verbal scaffolding of analogical and metacognitive thinking

• IQ at 5 years

Findings

• IQ results: range 96-150 mean of 123

• Group as a whole showed advanced pretend play

Comparison of Typical and Study Group’s Highest Play Levels

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1 2 3

Session

Play Level

Typical

Study Group

Findings for Higher IQ (HIQ) and Lower IQ (LIQ) Groups

• LIQ (96-119), HIQ (123-150)

• No significant differences in play levels

• HIQ group showed significantly higher child play frequency and child:mother play frequency ratios at 11-13 months session

Child and Mother Play Frequencies at 11-13 Months

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

HIQ LIQ

Child Play

Mother Play

Child and Mother Play Frequencies at 16-17 Months

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

HIQ LIQ

Child Play

Mother Play

Findings on Verbal Scaffolding

• HIQ mothers used more analogical verbalisations at 8-9 months session, and more analogical and metacognitive verbalisations at 11-13 months session

Discussion

• Advanced play and maternal scaffolding

• Higher IQ and progress through ZPD

• Metacognitive scaffolding-a response to child play competence?

• Advanced -for-age and ‘Distal’ or ‘Long-Term’ ZPD’s

Child and Mother Group Mean Play Levels

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8-9 m 11-13m 16-17m

Child Play Mean

Mothers' Play Mean

Implications

• Supporting infant/toddler pretend play

• Individual differences and ZPD’s in very young children

• Role of scaffolding of distal/long-term ZPD’s in development?

ReferencesBrown, P. M., Rickards, F. W., & Bortoli, A. (2001). Structures underpinning pretend play and word production in young

hearing children and children with hearing loss. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 6, 15-31.

Ignjatovic-Savic, N., Kovac-Cerovic, T., Plut, D., & Pesikan, A. (1988). Social interaction in early childhood and its developmental effects. In L. T. Winegar & J Valsiner (Eds.) Children’s development within social context: Vol 1. Metatheory and theory (pp.89-153). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Kanevsky, L. (1990). Pursuing qualitative differences in the flexible use of problem-solving strategy by young children. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 13, 115-140.

Moss, E. (1990). Social interaction and metacognitive development in gifted pre-schoolers. Gifted Child Quarterly, 34, 16-20.

Moss, E. (1992). The socioaffective context of joint cognitive activity. In L. T. Winegar & J Valsiner (Eds.) Children’s development within social context: Vol 1. Metatheory and theory (pp. 117-154). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.