AIRS 3rd Annual Conference: 2011
Title: Efficacy of Speech vs. Song to Regulate Stress in 10-Month-Olds
Authors: Niusha Ghazban (Ryerson University), Sandra Truhub (University of Toronto at
Mississauga), Frank Russo (Ryerson University)
Presentation format: Poster
Sub-theme: 1.2
Introduction
The interaction between a mother and her infant has been described as an intricate ‘dance’
involving coordinated singing and movement. It is widely accepted that infant-directed (ID)
speech, characterized as having higher pitch, slower tempo, and exaggerated intonations, is an
effective means of communicating with infants and holding their attention. Infants similarly
show a preference and respond to ID singing (Trainor, 1996). In fact, singing is one of the
most powerful and universally observed care giving behaviours and one which mothers
intuitively use to change and accommodate their infants’ state (de I’Etoile, 2006; Trehub &
Nakata, 2003). While both ID speech and singing appear to be equally successful in
modulating 'infants’ attention and arousal (Nakata & Trehub, 2004), the consequences of
maternal speech and singing to regulate stress are less clear. Thus the current study examines
infants’ behavioral (gaze, vocalization, facial animation) and physiological responses (heart rate
and galvanic skin response), to their mothers’ singing vs speech following an acute stressor.
Using the Face-to-Face/Still- Face (FFSF) procedure (Tronick et al., 1978), the mothers and
infants engaged in a three stage interaction: 1) Face-to Face playtime, 2) Mother’s display of
neutral still-face and, 3) the Reunion phase. The last phase is controlled such that mothers reengaged with their infants by either singing or speaking. Infants were subjected to four
repetitions each of singing and speech conditions for a total of eight trials over a 30-minute
session. Although data analysis is still ongoing, it appears that maternal singing provides a
form of “homeostasis” in regulating infants’ arousal more effectively than speech.
Bios
Niusha Ghazban worked with Dr. Daphne Maurer as an undergraduate at McMaster
University and is currently in second year of her doctoral studies working with Drs. Jean-Paul
Boudreau and Frank Russo at Ryerson University. With Over 5 years of research experience
examining infants’ cognitive and perceptual processes, she has presented at various
professional meetings such as International Conference on Infant Studies (ICIS) and Society
for Research in Child Development (SRCD). Under the supervision of Dr. Frank Russo and in
collaboration with Dr. Sandra Trehub, the current project submitted for presentation
examines the effects of maternal singing and speech on regulation of stress in 10-month old
infants. For her doctoral comprehensive, she is conducting a major review paper examining the
effects of song and music on regulating stress in infants. The review highlights the notion that
music and song are a form of “distal communication” that can modulate arousal and attention
when physical proximity to soothe the infant is not possible (e.g., driving in a car). Specifically

 her project reviews current literature on how these effects can be applied to other special
populations such as premature and low-birth weight infants when the natural bond and
attachment between them and the caregiver is disrupted. This review as well as the submitted
proposal was motivated by interactions with Drs. Russo and Trehub in the context of AIRS.