Attachment : Caregiver-Infant interactions Flashcards
When does attachment happen?
When a strong emotional connection is formed between two individuals
When does psychosocial development happen?
When children form relationships, interact with others, and learn to understand and manage their feelings
What are developmental psychologists interested in?
How infants reach the milestone of attachment
What is attachment often symbolised by?
An infant’s desire to seek proximity to a particular individual and to display distress when separated from said individual
Are attachment bonds present at birth?
No
Developed as response to interactions between the child and the caregiver
What does a caregiver provide an infant with?
A sense of security
Name 3 ways in which communication between a caregiver and infant happens
Interactional synchrony
Reciprocity
Mimicking
Bodily Contact
Caregiverse
What is this sentence referring to? :
‘the infant moves their bodies in time with the rhythm of the carer’s spoken language, creating a form of turn-taking’
Interactional synchrony
What is reciprocity?
When interactions lead to mutual behaviour between carer and infant, with both being able to produce responses from each other
What is mimicking?
When infants imitate the facial expressions of the caregiver, suggesting an innate biological drive to form an attachment bond
What is meant by ‘bodily contact’?
Physical interactions helping to form the attachment bond in the very early period, particularly immediately after birth
What is ‘caregiverse’?
A form of modified vocal language used by adults as they interact with infants, which includes high-pitched song-like vocals that are slow and repetitive
What is the purpose of caregiverse?
These vocals help with communication between the infant and caregiver whilst also strengthening the attachment bond
Explain Kalus and Kennel (1976)‘s research into the impact of contact
Kalus and Kennel (1976)
- Compared mothers who displayed extended physical contact with their babies with mothers who only contacted with their infants during feeding in the three days after birth
- After one month, mothers who displayed greater physical contact were found to cuddle their babies more and make greater eye-contact with them than the mother who made less contact
- These effects were still edvident a year later, suggesting that greater physical contact leads to an attachment bond that is close and stronger
Who conducted these peices of research? (+ years)
1. found that infants with secure attachments demonstrated interactional synchrony during the 1st year of life.
2. discovered that infants aged 2 to 3 weeks displayed a tendency to mimic adult’s facial expressions and hand movements, indicating that mimicry is an innate ability that helps in the formation of attachment.
3. found that the use of caregiverese was cross-cultural, suggesting that it is an innate device.
- Isabella et al. (1989)
- Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
- Popouset et al. (1991)
