Name:Zehra Karademir

School/Affiliation:Goldsmiths University of London

Co-Authors:Jan De Fockert, and Caspar Addyman

Virtual or In-person:Virtual

Abstract:

Singing to an infant is a widespread caregiving practice that can facilitate caregiver–child communication and maternal affect regulation (Cirelli et al., 2020; Mehr et al., 2018). Although controlled research has demonstrated potential benefits for intimacy (de l’Etoile, 2006; Fancourt & Perkins, 2018), evidence from everyday, naturalistic environments remains limited.
This study comprised two related studies using the same dataset. In Study 1, thirty-two mothers (ages 22–44) from the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe completed a within-subjects procedure via the Lookit online platform (Scott & Schulz, 2017). Participants engaged in two sessions, scheduled approximately one week apart, each following a pretest–interaction–posttest format. Prior to and immediately following a five-minute mother–infant interaction, mothers completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule ( PANAS; Watson et al., 1988) and the Inclusion of Others in Self ( IOS; Aron et al., 1992). Interaction conditions were counterbalanced so that each mother alternated between a singing session and a non-singing session. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests revealed no statistically significant differences in self-reported affect or perceived emotional closeness between conditions.
Study 2 used video data from 28 of these mothers (a reduced sample due to missing recordings) to examine objective interaction dynamics. Coders applied the Murray Global Rating Scale to evaluate four dimensions: eye contact, emotional expressiveness, maternal sensitivity, and reciprocity. Comparisons showed that singing was associated with significantly higher ratings of eye contact (p = .02), emotional expressiveness (p = .02), and maternal sensitivity (p = .005), whereas reciprocity showed no significant difference (p = .29).
Overall, these findings suggest a discrepancy between subjective and observable indicators of emotional connection: self-report measures did not detect enhanced closeness, yet behavioural observations identified higher engagement and responsiveness during singing (Trehub, 2012). This gap may reflect the subtleties of routine caregiving activities, wherein immediate affective shifts are not always consciously perceived (Trehub & Gudmundsdottir, 2019). Further research is recommended to investigate individual differences, refine measurement approaches for naturalistic settings, and explore potential long-term outcomes of infant-directed singing on attachment development.