1: caregiver and infant reactions, stages of attachment Flashcards
attachment definition
a 2 way emotional bond between individuals where they see each other essential for their own emotional security. it begins with the interactions between infants and caregivers
how do we form an attachment
during infancy a child cannot verbally comunicate so they do so non verbally.
how to tell if the relationship is deep
they are more sensitive to each others signals
research from the 1970s has shown what about infants and caregivers
infants coordinate their behaviours with their caregivers in a kind of conversation. they move in a rhythm when interacting with an adult like they are taking turns in a conversation. one person leans forward and speaks then it is the other persons turn
reciprocity definition
babies responding to parents behaviour and increasingly matching their actions
what did Tronick et al find in 1979
the importance of reciprocity, they asked mothers who had been in a dialogue with their babies to stop moving and remain static and unsmilling. they found babies would try to tempt them into interactions by smilling themselves and would become puzzled and increasingly distressed when their smile wouldnt provoke the ususal response. shows babies expect and anticipate reciprocal responses to their smiles
interactional synchrony
when they carry out actions that mirror each other
melzoff and moore 1977 findings
observed the beginigns of interactional synchrony in infants 2 weeks old +. they used independent observers, they found babies could imitate both facial and manual gestures of an adult. they argued this abiity would be an important building block for later social and cognitive development
isabella et al 1989 found
that securely attached mother-infant pairs had shown more interactional synchrony in the first year of life
problems with testing infant behaviour: evaluation
(include Melzoff and moore)
one weekness is looking at reciprocity is difficultin reliable testing infant behaviour, there mouths are constantly moving and the tested expressions occur frequently so it’s difficult to distinguish between general activity and specific imitated behaviour.
however, melzoff and moore filmed the infants and asked an observer to judge the behaviour, who had no idea what behaviour was being imitated which increased the internal validity of the data
also babies dont change their behaviour due to being observed= increasing validity
Feldman 2012 finds
suggets that synchrony describes the behaviours that occur at the same time but we dont know their true purpose. however there is some evidence reciprocal interaction and synchrony are helpful in mother-infant attachment as well as, stress responses, empathy, language and moreal development
Adravanel and DeYong 1991 finds
observed behaviour when interacting with inanimate objects one stimulating tounge movements and the other mouth opening and closing. infants aged 5-12 weeks made little response to the objects. shows it is a specific social response to other humans
Schaffer and Emerson
a longitudinal study on the development of attachment, 60 infants from working class homes in glasgow. infants aged 5-23 weeks studdied at monthly intervals for 18 months.
each month mothers recalled their infants response to seperation in seven everyday situation like being left alone in a room. they reported they intentiy of the protest on a 4-point scale and who the protest was dirrected at. also stranger anxiety was measured
Schaffer and emerson results
up to 3 months: indisriminate attachments, newborn is predisposed to attach to any human.
after 4 months: preference for certain perople. they learn to distinguish between primary and secondary carers but take care from anyone
after 7 months: special preference for a single attachment figure, shows fear to strangers and unhappines when seperated from a special person their levels of distress differ from infant to infant
after 9 months: multiple attachments, the baby becomes increasingly independent and forms several attachments
schaffer and emerson conclusion
the mother was the main attachment figure for 65% of children at 18 months old, only 3% of infants developmed primary attachment to their father. By 18 months, 31% formed multiple attachments
the attachments form to those who accurately respond to the baby’s signals not the person they spent the most time with. they called this the sensitive responsiveness.
