Care-Giver Infant Interactions

Question 1

Features of CARE-GIVER INFANT INTERACTIONS SIRI

Answer 1

> Sensitive Responsiveness: adult attends sensitively to infant’s communications.
Imitation: infant mimics adults behaviour.
Reciprocity: turn-taking interaction focuses both ways between adult and infant.
Interactional Synchrony: adults and babies respond in time to sustain communication.

Question 2

ROLE OF THE FATHER

Answer 2

Primary Attachment Figure
> when fathers take on the role of the primary attachment figure they typically behave like a mother would.
Secondary Attachment Figure
> ten to behave in a unique way and interactions tend to be less emotional/sensitive and more in the way of playfulness.
Fathers aren’t as crucial to a childs development.
^ socially sensitive

Question 3

ROLE OF THE FATHER

Evaluation

Answer 3

> MIXED EVIDENCE
Maybe due to different researchers looking into different things. For example, some researchers focus on the role of the father as a secondary attachment figure and come as a primary attachment figure. This distinct can explain the lack of reliability in research findings.
Why aren’t fathers normally primary attachment figures.
Maybe due to traditional gender roles, in which woman are expected to be more nurturing.
Therefore fathers may not feel as though they need to act that way.

Question 4

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT- study

Answer 4

Schaffer and Emerson
method: a longitudinal study of 60 infants from working-class homes in Glasgow. Over a period of 18 months, visited and studied patterns of attachment, observing interactions with carers. Mothers kept a diary of seven situations.
-Alone in a room
-Left with others
-Left in a pram outside the house
-Left in a pram outside shops
-Left in a cot at night
-Put down after being held by an adult
-Passed by while sitting in chair/cot.
results:
- 3 months, indiscriminate attachments
- 4 months> prefer certain people ,distinguish between PCG and SCG
- 7 months> preference to one single attachment figure, separation anxiety, stranger fear.
-9 months> multiple attachments, increasingly independent.
Mother was the main attachment figure for 65% of babies.

Question 5

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT- study

Evaluation

Answer 5

> Good External Validity
Carried out in babies own home, undergoing natural day to day experiences, therefore produced natural behaviour and responses. This can consequently be generalised to the population.
Limited Sample
Only 60 infants, all from the same area, therefore not representative of all families, can’t be generalised.
Lacks Temporal Validity
Situated historically, can’t perform all tasks, can’t be replicated today.

Question 6

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT- stages

Answer 6

> Stage 1 ( Asocial Attachment ) Birth- 2months
Similar response to everything. Towards end begin to show preference to people. Time reciprocity + time synchrony help establish child’s relationships.
Stage 2 ( Indiscriminate Attachment ) 2-7 months
The child shows marked preference for people, they recognise and prefer familiar adults.
Stage 3 ( Discriminate Attachment ) 7months
Infant start to show separation and stranger anxiety, also form a specific attachment to PCG.
Stage 4 ( Multiple Attachments )
Around a month after forming specific attachments child displays behaviours of attachment towards other who the are familiar ( secondary attachments).

Question 7

Study into Interactional Synchrony

Answer 7

Meltzoff and Moore
>conducted the first systematic study of INteractional Synchrony and found that infants as young as two to three weeks old imitated.
> the study was conducted using an adult model who displayed facial expressions or hand movements.