attachment

Question 1

what is reciprocity?
(also alert phases and active involvement)

Answer 1

When each person responds to the other and elicits a response from them.
Alert phases are when babies signal that they are ready for an interaction Feldman and Eidelman found that mothers respond to babies alertness 2/3 of the time.
Active involvement is when babies as well as caregivers have active roles in interactions. Brazelton et al. describes the interaction as a dance.

Question 2

what is interactional synchrony?

Answer 2

When caregivers and babies reflect each other’s actions and emotions in a coordinated way.
- Meltzoff and Moore observed beginnings of interactional synchrony in babies and found that their gestures and expressions were more like to mirror an adults than chance would predict.
Isabella et al. observed 30 mothers and babies and assessed the degree of synchrony and quality of attachment. Found that higher level of synchrony was associated with better attachment.

Question 3

what are the strengths of caregiver infant interactions?

Answer 3

1. Filmed observations in a lab. This means that activity that might distract a baby can be controlled. Also by recording it can also be analysed later. Therefore unlikely that the researcher will miss key behaviours. Also means more than one observer can record data and establish inter rate reliability of observations. Babies dont know they are being observed so their behaviours wont change. Research has good validity and reliability.

Question 4

what are the limitations of caregiver infant interactions?

Answer 4

1.Hard to interpret baby’s behaviour. The movements observed are just small hand movements or subtle changes in expression, hard to distinguish between behaviours. Also difficult to determine what is happening from the baby’s perspective, researcher doesnt know if a movement was random or due to the caregiver. So we cannot be certain that the behaviours have a special meaning.
2. Observing behaviour doesnt tell us of developmental importance. Feldman states ideas like synchrony simply give name to observable patterns of behaviour but arent useful in understanding child development as it doesnt say the purpose of behaviours. So we cannot be certain from observation alone that reciprocity and synchrony are important for development. HOWEVER, Isabella et al. found that good interactional synchrony developed a good quality attachment, meaning that CII is probably important in development.

Question 5

what are schaffers stages of attachment?

Answer 5

1. Asocial stage
2. Indiscriminate attachment
3. Specific attachment
4. Multiple attachments

Question 6

what was Schaffer and Emersons research?

Answer 6

Researchers visited 60 babies (31 male 29 female) from Glasgow and their mothers in their homes every month for one year and again at 18 months. They asked the mothers the protest the babies would show in seven everyday separations, to measure the baby’s attachment. Also assessed stranger anxiety.
From this they identified the four stages of infant attachment behaviour.