Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development pp 414–415Cite as

Cooing

  • Reference work entry

Synonyms

Gurgle; Soft cry

Definition

Cooing is a stage of infants’ prelinguistic speech development and consists of the production of single syllable, vowel-like sounds.

Description

The verbal behavior of infants during the first year of life is termed the prelinguistic period because it does not contain actual words [2]. Common noises during early infancy include crying, cooing, and variations in patterns of intonation. Emerging between 6 and 8 weeks of age, cooing is a stage of prelinguistic speech that is characterized by infants’ first noncrying verbal behavior [3]. Consisting of brief, vowel-like utterances, such as “oo,” or “aa” sounds, or consonant-vowel combinations such as “goo,” cooing provides vocal practice and entertainment to infants, and aides in the development of motor control over vocalizations [1].

Relevance to Childhood Development

Cooing is a spontaneous vocalization behavior that infants typically engage in when they are in a comfortable state, and is also used by...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   949.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Berk, L. E. (2009). Child development (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bukatko, D., & Daehler, M. W. (2004). Child development: A thematic approach (5th ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Semb, G. B. (2004). An introduction to child behavior and development (7th ed.). Kansas: University of Kansas.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Washburn University, 1700 SW College Ave., Topeka, KS, 66621, USA

    Meredith L. McKee

Authors
  1. Meredith L. McKee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, 230 South 500 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102, USA

    Sam Goldstein Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology MS 2C6, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Jack A. Naglieri Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this entry

Cite this entry

McKee, M.L. (2011). Cooing. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_692

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_692

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation