(1)Attachment-CAREGIVER INFANT INTERACTIONS,STAGES OF ATTACHMENT, FATHER Flashcards
attachment-definition
attachment is a close, 2 way, emotional bond between 2 people.
each individual sees the other as essential for their emotional security
characterised through: proximity, separation distress, secure base behaviour, reunion behaviour
RECIPROCITY(caregiver-infant interaction)
-two way mutual process
-‘turn-taking’
-each party responds to the others signal to sustain interaction, elicit response from the other
-doesn’t have to be similar actions
-strengthens the bond, deeper relationship=more secure attachment
INTERACTIONAL-SYNCHRONY(caregiver infant interaction)
-adults and babies respond in time to sustain communication
-mirrors the others actions
-imitate emotions and behaviours-moving in the same pattern
-e.g mother sticks out tongue, baby mirrors the facial expression
-strengthens the bond, deepens the relationship= secure attachment
AO3-reciprocity- research to support: BRAZELTON ET AL
-12 mother infant pairs
-session starts off with baby and mother playing together (3 mins) with mother showing pos facial expressions
-mother leaves room, after she returns holds a still, unresponsive face to the child
results: at first, babies moved in smooth, circular motions. After mother stopped being reciprocal/responsive, their body language became jerky and eventually motionless
conclusion: reciprocity behaviours are essential for attachment formation.
AO3-intersectional synchrony- research to support- MELTZOFF AND MOORE
-6 babies (12-21 days old)
-shown 4 facial and manual gestures, and their responses were videotaped.
results: all babies mirrored the gestures that they were shown
conclusion: interactional synchronised behaviours are innate.
AO3- eval of MELTZOFF & MOORE+ BRAZELTON ET AL
(+)PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS.
-the research has lead to successful practical applications such an antenatal classes
-professionals, apps, childcare courses all encourage caregivers to interact with their babies.
-this helps to lead to healthy attachment formation in childhood, which impacts adults later in life, as well as their future relationships.
-reduces cost of mental health services, NHS, social services- individuals more likely to be happier + functioning due to having secure attachment in childhood.
—>valuable contribution to society, reduces long term costs (NHS/OTHER SERVICES)
AO3-eval of MELTZOFF & MOORE+ BRAZELTON ET AL
(+)Highly controlled observation/procedure
-M&M videotaped the infants responses and interactions from different angles, allowing the data to be analysed in detail
-strength, several researches can re-watch the video clips as many times as necessary and record their observations
-this suggests the findings are therefore reliable with a degree of validity
AO3- eval of MELTZOFF & MOORE + BRAZELTON ET AL
(-)Low population validity
-limitation, only used a small sample size- 6 babies in m&m study, 12 mother infant pairs in brazeltons.
-small sample, not representative of all infants behaviour.
-findings about caregiver infant interaction may be difficult to generalise to other infants, and also conclusions drawn may not be fully valid due to the small sample.
—> reduces validity of claim that caregivers+infants communicate via reciprocity + IR (weak research to support)
AO3- eval of MELTZOFF & MOORE + BRAZELTON ET AL
(-) DIFFICULT TO TEST INFANTS BEHAVIOURS
-hard reliably to test, open to observer bias
-infants mouths fairly constant in motion, expressions that occurred could have just been by chance (eg tongue sticking out)
-limitation, difficult to distinguish wether behaviours were specifically reciprocated/synchronised, or whether they are just general activity/by chance.
—>limits validity of caregiver infant interaction findings
