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Cited by 173

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 10 of the 10 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

What Paves the Way to Conventional Language? The Predictive Value of Babble, Pointing, and Socioeconomic Status

McGillion, Michelle, Herbert, Jane S, Pine, Julian, Vihman, Marilyn, dePaolis, Rory, Keren-Portnoy, Tamar, Matthews, Danielle·2017·Child Development

Abstract

A child's first words mark the emergence of a uniquely human ability. Theories of the developmental steps that pave the way for word production have proposed that either vocal or gestural precursors are key. These accounts were tested by assessing the developmental synchrony in the onset of babbling, pointing, and word production for 46 infants observed monthly between the ages of 9 and 18 months. Babbling and pointing did not develop in tight synchrony and babble onset alone predicted first words. Pointing and maternal education emerged as predictors of lexical knowledge only in relation to a measure taken at 18 months. This suggests a far more important role for early phonological development in the creation of the lexicon than previously thought.

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Metadata

Authors
McGillion, M., Herbert, J. S., Pine, J., Vihman, M., dePaolis, R., Keren-Portnoy, T., & Matthews, D.
Venue
Child Development
Published
2017-01-01
Volume
88
Issue
1
Pages
156-166
ISSN
  • 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-8624
OpenAlex
W2556001234
Cited by
173
References
10
FWCI
43.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: What Paves the Way to Conventional Language? The Predictive Value of Babble, Pointing, and Socioeconomic Status. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1111/cdev.12671
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McGillion, M., Herbert, J. S., Pine, J., Vihman, M., dePaolis, R., Keren-Portnoy, T., & Matthews, D. (2017). What Paves the Way to Conventional Language? The Predictive Value of Babble, Pointing, and Socioeconomic Status. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12671

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