Entrainment is evidenced by the infant doing what?

Entrainment is evidenced by the infant doing what?

• A. The infant moves in time to the rhythm of the parent's speech.
• B. The infant remains still when the parent speaks.
• C. The infant ignores parental cues.
• D. The infant smiles at the parent's face.

Answer: (A)

Entraining to a caregiver’s rhythm means the infant’s own movements synchronize with the external beat or cadence of the caregiver’s speech. When a baby moves in time with the rhythm—nodding, swaying, or tapping in step with the parent’s speech—it shows the infant is attuning to the auditory input and coordinating motor activity with it. This kind of timing coordination reflects early social-motor coupling and is a hallmark of entrainment.

If the infant stays still, ignores cues, or only smiles without aligning movement to the speech rhythm, it doesn’t demonstrate this rhythmic synchronization. Smiling is social engagement, but it doesn’t reveal synchronization with the rhythm of speech.