Which “motionese” parameters change with children's age? Disentangling attention-getting from action-structuring modifications

Modified action demonstration—dubbed motionese— has been proposed as a way to help children recognize the structure and meaning of actions. However, until now, it investigated only in young infants. This brief research report presents findings from cross-sectional study parental demonstrations three groups 8–11, 12–23, 24–30-month-old that applied seven motionese parameters; second youngest group participants longitudinally corroborate results. Results both studies suggested four parameters (Motion Pauses, Pace, Velocity, Acceleration) seem by organizing motion pauses. Whereas these persist over different ages, other (Demonstration Length, Roundness, Range) occur predominantly younger serve organize infants' attention on basis movement. are discussed terms facilitative vs. pedagogical learning.