Abstract
Problem The delay in the language development is one of the characterieristics of the mental development in the children who are institutionalized in the early life after the birth. This problem has been discussed as "hospitalism." The purpose of the present study is to verify the possibiliy of prevention of the language delay by reinforcing socially, and of the normal language development in such institutionalized children. Methods (1) Subjects: Three male infants aged 3 months, 4 months, and 5 months were institutionalionalized within one month after the birth. (2) Procedures: Six-day experiment is devided into the following three periods : Base line period (first two days) : The experimenter still beside the infant's bed, and looks at infant's face without any expression on her face. Conditioning period (next two days) : The experimenter gives kinds of rewards to the infant's vocalization. The rewards as follows: (a) broad smile right after the vocalization, (b) three soft utterances of "yoshi," and (c) light touch on the infant's face. Extinction period (last two days) : The experimenter stands still beside the infant's bed without any facial expression like base line period. In each period, the observer records the vocalization and facial expression of the infant in detail. Main measure is vocalization shown by the infant, and smiling and emotional reactions are also observed in terme of frequency. Results 1. Frequency of vocalization in conditi oninf period was significantly higher in any infant at the 1 % level of significance. 2. Vocalization inereased at the most in conditioning period and the tendency remained in extinction period. 3. Increasement of vocalization in conditioning period differred in each infant. The difference seemed to ce associated with the over-all development of the infant. 4. Smiling response, like vocalization, highly increased in frequency in conditioning period. 5. Two infants showed high correlation and smiling response.
