What is it about?
In the period between birth and approximately 9 months, adults introduce infants to triadic (adult–infant–object) communication. The objective of this study is to explore how early triadic interactions arise and develop in moderate–late preterm infants. We observed and analyzed seven preterm infants at 2, 3, and 4 months of age in triadic interactions with a caregiver and a sonorous object. In the first 2 months of the infant’s life, the responsibility for the interaction rests with the adult. As time went by, parents used a wider range of semiotic systems to communicate with the child, about and through the object. The results demonstrated the presence of triadic interactions in a preterm population beginning in the third month of life. Interaction is structured with the object, its sound, rhythm, and pauses. The parents’ use of pauses was adjusted to the child’s availability. These pauses became longer and more communicative over time, which allowed more participation on the part of the infants. Communication is facilitated by the rhythmic components of the triadic interaction (time/pauses/structure of the interaction sequence).
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Why is it important?
This article is important because it shows that preterm infants can engage in triadic interactions (adult–infant–object) from a very early age, and that the rhythm and pauses parents use with a sound-producing object help to facilitate this communication. In such a vulnerable population, these findings provide concrete clues for designing early interventions (for example, based on music and rhythm) that support bonding, emotional regulation, and communicative development before language emerges.
Perspectives
From my perspective as an author, this study was driven by a need to understand how very early communication with preterm infants actually unfolds when we add a third element: a meaningful object that sounds and has rhythm. In clinical and neonatal settings, we talk a lot about bonding and mother–baby interaction, but we know much less about how parents can use objects, sound, and pauses to invite these vulnerable babies into genuine shared activities. By analyzing these triadic interactions in detail, my aim was to show that preterm infants are active partners much earlier than we usually assume, and that small rhythmic aspects of parents’ behavior (such as the length of pauses and the structure of movement and sound) can either open or close the door to the infant’s participation. I hope these findings help clinicians, music therapists, and parents to value these tiny musical and rhythmic exchanges as a powerful way to support emotional bonding, early communication, and perhaps even early risk detection in preterm development
Eduardo García Laredo
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Analysis of triadic interaction between parents, their preterm infants, and a sonorous object, Psychology of Music, February 2024, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/03057356231225673.
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