Infant Behavior & Development 33 (2010) 101–110 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Infant Behavior and Development A comparison of maternal sensitivity and verbal stimulation as unique predictors of infant social–emotional and cognitive development Melissa Page ∗ , Mari S. Wilhelm, Wendy C. Gamble, Noel A. Card University of Arizona, 1717 E. Speedway, #1101, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States article info Article history: Received 14 August 2008 Received in revised form 15 September 2009 Accepted 24 December 2009 Keywords: Maternal sensitivity Verbal stimulation Social–emotional Cognitive abstract Although maternal sensitivity has been shown to influence social–emotional develop- ment, the role of verbal stimulation on infant developmental outcomes has received less exploration. Recent research has focused on intentional behaviors within the context of a mother–infant interaction as a critical influence and as distinct from sensitivity. In this investigation 6377 mother–infant dyads participated in a teaching task as part of the sam- ple from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). Analyses focused in deciphering the role of maternal sensitivity and verbal stimulation as contributors to the infant’s social–emotional (S–E) and cognitive (Cog) development. We further hypothesized that inclusion of infant age as a moderator of maternal behaviors would illuminate any dif- ferences between younger and older infants. Results: For the infant’s S–E development, our hypothesis that maternal sensitivity would be a stronger predictor than verbal stimulation was not supported; nor did we find support for our hypothesis that the association would be moderated by age. For Cog development, only verbal stimulation had a direct positive effect on the infant’s cognitive ability; our findings for moderation showed that mothers spoke more to older infants than younger infants. Conclusion: Identification of specific maternal behaviors associated with infant outcomes informs the child development field, and also provides strategies for early intervention to assist mothers with developing or maintaining a consistent relationship that includes sensitivity and verbal stimulation. Published by Elsevier Inc. 1. Introduction It is well accepted that the family provides important relational contexts for infant and child development, and that posi- tive parent–child interactions are critical for optimizing developmental outcomes, including social–emotional and cognitive growth. Because the mother–child relationship is uniquely close and long-term and has proven to significantly influence developmental outcomes, it has been under close scrutiny. Interest has often focused on the mother’s health or psychological mood (Carter, Garrity-Rokous, Chazan-Cohen, Little, & Briggs-Gowan, 2001; Field, 1992) in explaining poor outcomes for children throughout their lives. Alternatively, others have investigated the specifics of the mother’s cognitions when inter- acting with her infant (Meins, Fernyhough, Fradley, & Tuckey, 2001) and the impact of her verbal and nonverbal behaviors in stimulating the growth and development of her child (Landry, Smith, Miller-Loncar, & Swank, 1997). One area of research focuses on observations of mother–child interactions and caregiving skills such as feeding, free play, teaching strategies, as well as the mother’s behaviors to soothe the infant during stressful and non-stressful events (Beckwith & Rodning, 1996; ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 520 621 3902. E-mail address: mpage@u.arizona.edu (M. Page). 0163-6383/$ – see front matter. Published by Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2009.12.001