Attachment - caregiver infant interactions

Question 1

what is attachment

Answer 1

a close two way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security

Question 2

what is the importance of attachments

Answer 2

• ensure survival of babies when they are at their most vulnerable
• our earliest attachment serves as a prototype for later ones

Question 3

what are care-giver infant interactions

Answer 3

• how babies and adults communicate with each other

Question 4

what is reciprocity

Answer 4

• how two people interact
• caregiver and baby respond to each others signals and each elicits a response from the other

Question 5

what is interactional synchrony

Answer 5

• caregiver and baby reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a synchronised way

Question 6

what is the evidence for caregiver infant interactions

Answer 6

Feldman (2007)
- mothers typically pick up and respond to their baby’s alertness
- from 3 months the interaction becomes more frequent
- mother baby pay close attention to others verbal signals and facial expressions

Brazelton et al (1975)
- caregiver and baby initiate interactions and take turns

Mettzoff and Moore (1977)
- babies expressions and gestures are likely to mirror adults

Isabella et al (1989)
- high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother baby attachment
- observed 30 mothers and babies together and assessed the degree of synchrony

Question 7

what are the strengths of caregiver infant interactions

Answer 7

Filmed observations
- aspects can be controlled
- unlikely to miss key behaviours when recorded
- behaviour doesn’t change in observation as babies are unaware they are being observed

Question 8

what are the limitations of caregiver infant interactions

Answer 8

Difficult to observe babies
- babies lack co-ordination
- difficult to observe behaviour and have the babies perspective
- behaviours seen may not have a special meaning

Developmental importance
- observing behaviour doesn’t tell us developmental importance
Feldman (2012)
- cannot understand development and purpose of behaviours
- reciprocity and synchrony may not be important for development