attachment

Question 1

Why are caregiver–infant interactions important?

Answer 1

They are crucial for the child’s social development, particularly the quality of attachment with their caregiver.

Question 2

What is reciprocity in caregiver–infant interactions?

Answer 2

A process in which the caregiver and infant respond to each other’s signals, creating a turn-taking pattern of interaction.

Question 3

What did Feldman & Eidelman (2007) find about reciprocity?

Answer 3

Mothers typically respond to infant alertness two-thirds of the time.

Question 4

What did Brazelton et al. (1975) describe reciprocity as?

Answer 4

A dance where each partner responds to the other’s movements.

Question 5

What is interactional synchrony?

Answer 5

A coordinated pattern where caregiver and infant mirror each other’s actions and emotions in a synchronised way.

Question 6

What did Meltzoff & Moore (1977) find about interactional synchrony?

Answer 6

Infants as young as two weeks old imitate adults’ facial expressions and gestures.

Question 7

What did Isabella et al. (1989) find about the link between interactional synchrony and attachment?

Answer 7

High levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-infant attachment.

Question 8

PEEL evaluation of filmed observations in caregiver–infant interaction studies

Answer 8

• Point: Research into caregiver–infant interactions is usually filmed in controlled settings.
• Evidence: This ensures fine details of interactions can be recorded and later analysed.
• Explanation: Filmed studies improve reliability because babies do not know they are being observed, reducing observer bias.
• Link: This means research into caregiver–infant interactions has high internal validity.

Question 9

PEEL evaluation of difficulties in interpreting infant behaviour

Answer 9

• Point: It is difficult to determine the meaning behind infant interactions.
• Evidence: Babies’ movements (e.g., hand gestures, facial expressions) may be random rather than deliberate attempts at communication.
• Explanation: This makes it hard to distinguish whether behaviour like smiling is a real response to a caregiver.
• Link: Therefore, research on reciprocity and synchrony lacks certainty in what is being measured.

Question 10

PEEL evaluation of the role of interactional synchrony in attachment

Answer 10

• Point: Research suggests interactional synchrony is important for later child development.
• Evidence: Isabella et al. (1989) found that infants with more synchrony had better quality attachments.
• Explanation: This shows caregiver–infant interactions may play a role in developing secure attachments.
• Link: This suggests that synchrony is essential rather than simply coincidental.

Question 11

PEEL evaluation of the issue with inferring causation from synchrony studies

Answer 11

• Point: The link between synchrony and attachment is correlational, not causal.
• Evidence: Other factors like parenting style or infant temperament may play a larger role.
• Explanation: This means high levels of synchrony might not directly cause strong attachment.
• Link: Future research should focus on experimental methods to establish causation.

Question 12

PEEL evaluation of the real-world application of caregiver–infant interaction research

Answer 12

• Point: Research on caregiver–infant interactions has real-world benefits.
• Evidence: Crotwell et al. (2013) found that training parents to use interactional techniques improved attachment in low-income families.
• Explanation: This shows that studying interactional synchrony can have practical applications for parenting support.
• Link: However, research in this area is socially sensitive, as it may pressure parents to interact in a particular way.

Question 13

PEEL strength of research into caregiver infant interactions

Answer 13

Point: A strength of research into caregiver–infant interactions is that the interactions are usually investigated by being filmed in a laboratory.

Evidence: This allows extraneous variables, such as background activity that might distract the baby, to be controlled. Additionally, filming interactions means that observations can be recorded and analysed later, ensuring that no important behaviours are missed.

Explanation: This also helps to establish inter-rater reliability, as multiple researchers can review the same footage to confirm findings. Furthermore, since babies do not respond to overt observation, their behaviour remains natural, increasing the validity of the research.

Link: Therefore, the use of filmed observations strengthens research on caregiver–infant interactions by improving its reliability and validity.