3. ATTACHMENT (Caregiver-infant interactions in humans: reciprocity and interactional synchrony)

Question 1

What is attachment?

Answer 1

Attachment is a close, two-way emotional bond between two individuals, where each person sees the other as essential for their emotional security. It is recognized by behaviours like proximity, separation distress, secure-base behaviour, and reunion behaviour.

Question 2

What behaviours indicate attachment in humans?

Answer 2

1. Proximity: Trying to stay physically close.
2. Separation distress: Distress when the attachment figure leaves.
3. Secure-base behavior: Maintaining contact even when independent.
4. Reunion behavior: Emotional response when reunited with attachment figures.

Question 3

What is interactional synchrony?

Answer 3

Interactional synchrony is when a caregiver and infant mirror each other’s facial and body movements, including emotions. This synchronized behaviour helps sustain communication between them.

Question 4

What is reciprocity in caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 4

Reciprocity is a two-way, mutual process where both the caregiver and infant respond to each other’s signals to sustain interaction, such as turn-taking. Their responses may not always be identical, but they elicit a response from the other.

Question 5

What is the difference between interactional synchrony and reciprocity?

Answer 5

Interactional synchrony involves mirroring behaviours (e.g., facial expressions), whereas reciprocity involves turn-taking and mutual responsiveness, where each party elicits a response from the other.

Question 6

What key study investigated interactional synchrony in infants?

Answer 6

Meltzoff and Moore (1977) investigated how infants, as young as 12 days old, can mirror adults’ facial and manual gestures. They found that infants could imitate gestures, suggesting that interactional synchrony is innate.

Question 7

What were the findings of Meltzoff and Moore (1977) regarding interactional synchrony?

Answer 7

They found that infants as young as 12 days old could mirror facial and manual gestures of adults, indicating that synchronized behaviours are innate and crucial for early communication.

Question 8

What was the aim of Brazelton et al (1974)?

Answer 8

The aim was to investigate reciprocal social interactions between mothers and their young infants to understand the role of reciprocity in attachment formation.

Question 9

What were the findings of Brazelton et al (1974) on reciprocity?

Answer 9

They found that when mothers engaged in face-to-face interaction, infants responded with smooth body movements and frequent eye contact. When mothers stopped responding, infants’ movements became jerky, indicating the importance of reciprocal behaviours for attachment.

Question 10

How does reciprocity contribute to attachment?

Answer 10

Reciprocal behaviours, such as responding to a caregiver’s actions, are essential for forming secure attachments. Infants rely on these exchanges to develop emotional bonds with caregivers.

Question 11

What is a strength of research on caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 11

One strength is the practical application, such as antenatal classes, which encourage parents to engage with their babies to promote healthy attachment. This can reduce long-term social and mental health costs for society.

Question 12

How does controlled observation strengthen research into caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 12

Controlled observations allow researchers to film interactions from different angles, ensuring that fine details are recorded and analysed later. This increases the internal validity of findings about caregiver-infant interactions.

Question 13

What is a limitation of testing infants’ behaviours?

Answer 13

A limitation is the difficulty in reliably testing infant behaviour due to the high frequency of general activity (like smiling or sticking out the tongue). This can lead to observer bias and make it hard to distinguish between general actions and specific behaviours like synchrony or reciprocity.

Question 14

How did Meltzoff and Moore improve the reliability of their research?

Answer 14

They filmed infants’ responses and had independent observers judge the behaviour, unaware of which adult gestures the infant was imitating. This increased the internal validity of their findings.

Question 15

What is a limitation of research on caregiver-infant interactions in terms of sample size?

Answer 15

A limitation is low population validity, as studies like those by Meltzoff and Moore (6 infants) and Brazelton et al. (12 mother-infant pairs) used very small sample sizes, which may not be representative of all infants.

Question 16

Why is the small sample size a limitation in caregiver-infant interaction studies?

Answer 16

Small sample sizes, such as those in Meltzoff and Moore’s and Brazelton et al.’s studies, may not be representative of the broader population, limiting the generalizability of the findings to all infants.

Question 17

How does research into caregiver-infant interactions benefit society?

Answer 17

By demonstrating the importance of early interactions for attachment, research has led to practical applications in parenting and childcare, promoting healthier emotional development and reducing social service and mental health costs.

Question 18

What is the relationship between interactional synchrony and attachment security?

Answer 18

Research suggests that when caregivers and infants engage in interactional synchrony, it promotes a deeper emotional bond, contributing to the development of a more secure attachment between them.

Question 19

What role do reciprocal behaviours play in attachment formation?

Answer 19

Reciprocal behaviours, such as turn-taking and responding to signals, are crucial for forming strong emotional bonds between caregiver and infant, helping to establish a secure attachment.

Question 20

How does the research into caregiver-infant interactions contribute to understanding early development?

Answer 20

The research provides insight into the foundational role of non-verbal communication, such as mirroring and reciprocal behaviours, in forming emotional bonds and secure attachment, which are crucial for later emotional and social development.