Caregiver Infant Interaction Flashcards
What is the significance of interactions between babies and their caregivers?
They are important for the successful development of attachments.
Early interactions help establish emotional bonds and social skills.
Define reciprocity in the context of caregiver-infant interactions.
It is when one person responds to another in interaction, eliciting a response from someone else.
What is the alert phase in infants?
A periodic phase where babies signal they want interaction through cries, eye contact, or noises.
How do caregivers typically respond to babies during the alert phase?
Research shows mothers respond to babies 2/3rd of the time.
Feldman & Edelman (2007) found that 1/3rd of the time, mothers may not respond due to being busy, lacking skills, or experiencing stress.
True or False: Babies are traditionally thought of as passive in interactions with caregivers.
True
What does research suggest about the role of babies in interactions?
Babies initiate interactions and play an active role.
Who described caregiver-infant interaction as a dance?
Brazelton (1975)
Fill in the blank: The concept of ‘turn taking’ refers to _______ in caregiver-infant interactions.
[reciprocity]
What is interactional synchrony?
When 2 people carry out interactions in a coordinated way, mirroring each other’s actions and emotions.
At what age did Meltzoff and Moore observe interactional synchrony in infants?
As young as 2 weeks old.
What did Meltzoff and Moore do to demonstrate interactional synchrony?
Adults made faces to babies, and babies responded by mirroring the face.
What was the focus of Isabella’s research?
The degree of interactional synchrony and its association with mother-baby attachment quality.
What did Isabella find about synchrony and mother-baby attachments?
High levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-baby attachments.
What was the aim of Meltzoff and Moore’s study?
To investigate reciprocity and interactional synchrony between infants and their caregiver.
What was the age range of infants in Meltzoff and Moore’s study?
6-27 days old.
What stimuli were used in Meltzoff and Moore’s controlled observations?
3 facial gestures and 1 manual gesture (waving fingers).
How were the infants’ responses recorded in the study?
Their actions were video recorded using behavioral categories.
What did Meltzoff and Moore conclude about the ability to imitate?
It is an important building block for later social and cognitive development.
True or False: Interactional synchrony only occurs in adults.
False.
What is a limitation of the Meltzoff and Moore evaluation regarding observations?
What is being observed is merely hand movements or changes in expression
This limitation indicates that the study may not capture the full complexity of interactions.
What difficulty arises from the observations in the Meltzoff and Moore evaluation?
Difficult to be certain based on these observations
This suggests that the interpretations of behaviors may lack reliability.
What is a limitation concerning the meaning of behaviors in mother-infant interactions?
Can’t know for certain that behaviors seen have special meaning
This raises questions about the significance of the observed actions.
What is a strength of the Meltzoff and Moore evaluation?
Well controlled - mother and infant filmed at many angles
This control helps ensure that fine details of behavior are accurately recorded.
Why does the research have good validity according to the Meltzoff and Moore evaluation?
Babies don’t know they are being observed, so behavior doesn’t change
This aspect enhances the authenticity of the observed behaviors.
