Just as exposing children to books helps develop their interest in reading; talking to children helps develop their language abilities. Research shows that from a very young age, children are influenced by the manner in which their mothers verbally interact with them. An FPG study published in the May/June 2008 issue of "The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology" examines how mother and child characteristics might influence the way mothers talk to their infants. The study presented in this document looked at whether child and maternal characteristics were important in predicting how mothers speak to their children. It also considered if family dynamics might be causing the link between poverty and maternal language.