Attachment - Caregiver-Infant interactions Flashcards
What is an attachment?
A two-way close emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security
What are three key elements to knowing an attachment has formed?
Proximity - people try to stay physically close to one another
Separation distress - high level of distress when away from individual
Secure base behaviour - even when independent we tend to make regular contact with them
Explain the two caregiver-infant interactions
Reciprocity - turn taking interactions between both, able to produce responses from one another
Interactional synchrony - Interact in such a way that their actions and emotions mirror eachother
From around 3 months these interactions become more
frequent as development occurs
Explain Meltzoff&Moore’s research
Observed Interactional synchrony in babies as young as two weeks old, they displayed one of three facial expressions as distinctive gestures.
The child’s response to was filmed and identified by independent observers and an association was found between the expression of the adults and the actions of the babies.
Supports IS as they mirrored each-other
Evaluate Caregiver-Infant interactions
✅ Supporting evidence - Meltzoff & Moore
✅ Practical applications - Research has led to changes within maternity wards and babies now stay alongside their mothers from birth to aid attachment
❌ It is hard to interpret a babies behaviour - Difficult to determine wether a baby is smiling or exhibiting a natural reflex. Therefore conclusions are drawn on interpretations which reduces validity
