Attachment AO1

Question 1

Define Attachment

Answer 1

A close, two-way, emotional bond between two individuals. These bonds are needed for emotional security, social development and intellectual development. People with attachments develop behaviours of proximity, separation distress and secure-base behaviours.

Question 2

Define Reciprocity

Answer 2

The process in which a behaviour is responded to during an interaction. They elicit a response from each other.

Question 3

Define Interactional Synchrony

Answer 3

Refers to how a parent’s speech and infant’s behaviour become finely synchronised so that they are in direct response to each other. Feldman defined it as “temporal coordination of micro-level social behaviour” and as “symbolic exchanges between parent and child”.

Question 4

Why did Brazleton describe mother infant interactions as a “dance”?

Answer 4

Because when a couple dance together they respond to each other’s movement and rhythm.

Question 5

Describe Meltzoff + Moore study on interactional synchrony

Answer 5

• Controlled Observation
• Adult model displays 1 of 3 facial expressions or hand movements.
• Dummy placed in infants mouth initially to prevent response.
• Dummy then removed and child’s expression filmed.
• Association found between infant behaviour and adult model behaviour.

Question 6

What did Isabella et al find?

Answer 6

Securely attached mother-infant pairs show more interactional synchrony in 1st year of life. High levels of synchrony show that the mother and infant have a secure attachment relationship.