Prof. Dr. Stefanie H?hl

Rhythms of Communication: How Children and Caregivers Connect

Caregiver-child interactions are characterized by interpersonal rhythms at different timescales, from nursery rhymes and interactive games to daily routines. These rhythms make the social environment more predictable for young children and facilitate interpersonal biobehavioral synchrony with their caregivers. In adults, brain oscillations entrain to communicative rhythms, including speech, supporting mutual comprehension and communication. I will present evidence that this is also the case in the infant brain, especially when babies are addressed directly by their caregiver through infant-directed speech and singing in naturalistic interactions. I will present our recent research identifying factors supporting the establishment of caregiver-child neural synchrony, such as affectionate touch and vocal turn-taking. I will further discuss the links between caregiver-child synchrony on the neural, behavioral and physiological levels and how these relate to developmental outcomes.

STEFANIE H?HLis Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Vienna where she directs the Wiener Kinderstudien lab. She received her PhD from the University of Leipzig. From 2016 to 2019 she led the Max Planck Research Group on Early Social Cognition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig. Her research lies at the intersection of developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience and focuses on social and cognitive development in early childhood.