初期発声発達における社会的相互作用バイアスの役割り

抄録

Vocal communication is a unique means to bilaterally exchange messages in real-time. Vocal interactions between an infant and a caregiver seems to be the developmental origin of such communication, and one of the big mysteries of how the infant learns to vocalize the mother tongue of the caregiver. Many theories claim to explain the infant’s capability of imitation based on acoustic matching. However, acoustic qualities of the infant and the caregiver are quite different and therefore cannot fully explain imitation. Instead, the interaction itself may have an important role, but the mechanism is still unclear. In this article, we review studies addressing this problem using constructive approaches based on cognitive developmental robotics. First, we review the early development of infant speech perception and articulation from observational studies in developmental psychology and neuroscientific imaging studies. Next, computational modeling approaches are explained. Then, constructive approaches with real robot experiments and computer simulations are introduced to discuss how infant-caregiver interactions affect the early development of vocalization. Finally, future issues pertaining to the development of language communication are discussed.