Attachment: Caregiver-Infant Interactions Flashcards
What is attachment?
- A close two-way emotional bond.
- Between 2 individuals, see the other as essential for emotional security.
- Takes few months to develop.
What are the main AO1 points of caregiver-infant interactions?
- Attachment behaviours.
- Reciprocity and interactional synchrony
What are the three attachment behaviours?
Proximity, Separational Distress, Secure Base Behaviour
What is proximity? (attachment behaviour)
People try to stay physically close to those they are attached to.
What is separation distress? (attachment behaviour)
People are distressed when an attachment figure leaves.
What is secure base behaviour (attachment behaviours)
Explore the enviorment but return to attachment figure for comfort.
What are the important building blocks for the development of attachment?
- Reciprocity
- Interactional Synchrony
What is reciprocity?
Is how two people interact.
What is reciprocity described as?
Research in the 1970s demonstrated that infants coordinate their actions with caregivers. Described as ‘non verbal conversation’.
What research supports reciprocity?
Tronik
What was the method in Tronik’s study?
Asked mothers who had been enjoying a dialogue with their baby to stop moving and maintain a static, unsmiling expression on their faces.
What was the result of Tronik study?
Babies try to tempt mother into interaction by smiling themselves, became puzzled and distressed when the usual response didn’t occur.
What did Feldman find out about reciprocity?
From 3+ months interaction tends to be more frequent. Involving close attention to each other’s verbal/facial signals.
What is interactional synchrony?
Mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and so this is a co-ordinated (synchronised) way.
What study is on interactional synchrony
Melzoff and Moore (1977)
What was the Melzoff and Moore study?
Observed beginning interactional synchrony as young as 2 weeks old.
The baby replicated the facial exppresion displayed.
What issues might there be with studying babies/infant interaction?
It is hard to understand what is taking place from the infant’s perspective. E.g. is an infants imitation of adult conscious and deliberate?
What strengths might there be of controlled observation?
- Can be recorded and later analysed.
- Babies don’t know or care that they are being observed - good validity.
Why might research be considered socially sensitive?
Isabella showed that returning to work shortly after a child is born this restricts bonding/interactional synchrony - has socially sensitive implications.
