1st part Flashcards
what are the 2 types of caregiver-infant interactions??
- reciprocity
- interactional synchrony
what is reciprocity?
the interaction between 2 people whereby they respond to each other’s signals, one after the other
define attachment
a strong emotional and enduring bond that an infant has with one or more of their caregivers
what is reciprocity also known as??
turn-taking
how does the baby play an active role in reciprocity??
both mother and child initiate interactions and take turns in doing so
frequent interaction between a mother and infant leads to what??
a stronger bond
reciprocity resembles what??
a non-verbal conversation
give an example of reciprocity
peak-a-boo
what is interactional synchrony??
when infants move their bodies in tune with the rhythm of the carer’s spoken language
interactional synchrony causes what??
a sense of togetherness
is interactional synchrony conscious or unconscious??
unconscious - happens without thinking
give an example of interactional synchrony
a baby moves their head in time with the mother
name the 5 evaluation points for caregiver-infant interactions
- melzoff and moore
- isabella
- behaviour isn’t universal
- interaction may be coincidental
- subject to observer bias
what did melzoff and moore that supports caregiver-infant interactions??
infants aged 2-3 weeks mimic adults facial expressions and hand gestures
how does melzoff and moore support caregiver-infant interactions??
supports idea that reciprocity and IS is an innate ability to aid the form of attachments (was seen in infants less than 3 days old)
outline the study conducted by isabella that supports caregiver-infant interactions
assessed degree of synchrony between 30 mothers and infants
what did isabella find that supports caregiver-infant interactions??
positive correlation between level of synchrony and quality of mother-infant attachment
what can we conclude from isabella’s study?? (caregiver-infant interaction)
shows that synchrony is important in forming attachments
explain the issue with caregiver-infant interactions not being universal
the fact that interactional synchrony isn’t found in every culture shows that it isn’t necessary for attachment formation
give an example of how interactional synchrony isn’t universal
kenyan mothers have little interaction with infants but still have a secure attachment
what does the fact that caregiver-infant interactional aren’t universal suggest??
some interactions are cultural norms
explain how some caregiver-infant interactions may be coincidental
don’t know whether interactions was deliberate as we don’t know what is taking place from the infant’s perspective
what can we conclude from the fact that some caregiver-infant interactions may be coincidence??
can’t know whether caregiver-infant interaction has any special meaning
explain how caregiver-infant interactions may be subject to observer bias
some researchers may record certain interactions more than others and interactions may be subjective
what can we conclude from the fact that some caregiver-infant interactions are subjective??
research into caregiver-infant interactions may be unreliable and lack validity
who put forward the 4 stages of attachment??
schaffer
how many stages of attachment are there??
4
name the 4 stages of attachment
- pre-attachment
- indiscriminate
- specific
- multiple
at what age does the pre-attachment stage occur??
0-3 months
at what age does the indiscriminate stage occur??
3-7 months
at what age does the specific attachment stage occur??
7/8 months
at what age does the multiple attachment stage occur??
9 months +
outline the pre-attachment stage
asocial - produce similar reactions to animate and inanimate objects
at what age do babies begin treating humans and objects differently??
6 weeks
in which stage do babies start treating humans and objects differently??
pre-attachment
in the pre-attachment stage, how do babies begin establishing relationships with others??
through reciprocity and interactional synchrony
outline the indiscriminate attachment stage
can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people, but still easily comforted by anyone and enjoy being with people
at what stage of attachment does separation anxiety occur??
specific attachment
what is separation anxiety in an infant??
becoming distressed when separated from a particular person
at what stage does an infant form a primary attachment??
specific attachment
at what stage does an infant develop stranger anxiety??
specific attachment
outline the multiple attachment stage
infant begins forming secondary attachments with those they have consistent relationships with
at what stage does an infant begin showing separation anxiety from secondary attachments??
multiple attachment stage
during the multiple attachment stage, infants begin showing separation anxiety from who??
secondary attachments
name the 4 evaluation points for schaffer’s stages of attachment
- schaffer and emerson
- based on flawed research
- lack temporal validity
- stages are ethnocentric
outline the study conducted by emerson and schaffer that supports the stages of attachment
interviews 60 mothers in glasgow about their children
what did emerson and schaffer find that supports the stages of attachment??
- 29% had formed attachments with others
- 1/3 of 1 y/o has formed secondary attachments
how does emerson and schaffer’s study support the stages of attachment??
supports the order of attachment
explain how schaffer’s 4 stages of attachment is based on flawed research
based on mother’s reports which may be biased
what is social desirability in attachment??
may portray themselves as having a better relationship with their child than they really do
what is the issue with schaffer’s 4 stages being based on flawed research??
lack internal validity
explain how schaffer’s 4 stages lacks temporal validity
data collected in 1960’s - parental care has drastically changed
how has parenting changed since the 1960’s??
- more single parent families
- more same sex parents
- more stay at home dads
what is the issue with schaffer’s 4 stages lacking temporal validity??
doesn’t represent modern day attachments
what is ethnocentrism in attachment??
assumes all children grew up in the same culture - in some cultures multiple attachments may come before the primary attachment
what is the issue with schaffer’s 4 stages being ethnocentric??
may limit theories of attachment
what did emerson and schaffer believe about the role of the father??
less likely to be a primary attachment figure than mothers
why did emerson and schaffer believe that fathers are less likely to be a primary attachment figure than the mother??
spend less time with infant
the fact that single dads are capable of adopting maternal roles shows what??
men have the capacity to be the primary attachment
how does research portray father’s as a secondary attachment??
generally more playful, physically active and better in challenging situations
