caregiver-infant interactions

Question 1

what is an 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

how can an attachment be recognised?

Answer 2

seeking proximity, separation distress and secure-base behaviour

Question 3

what are care-giver infant interactions?

Answer 3

from birth babies and mothers spend a lot of time in intense and pleasurable interaction

Question 4

reciprocity

Answer 4

Feldman and Eidelman- babies have periodic ‘alert phases’ which mothers respond to around 2/3 of time

3 months- increasingly frequent, close attention to each other’s verbal signals and facial expressions

reciprocal as each person responds to and elicits response from the other

Brazleton- both can actively initiate interactions, taking in turns ‘like a dance’

Question 5

what is interactional synchrony?

Answer 5

the temporal co-ordination of micro-level social behaviour

occurs when actions and behaviours of mother and infant mirror each other

Question 6

outline Meltzoff and Moore’s study into interactional synchrony (1977)

Answer 6

observed in as young as 2 weeks

adult displayed 1 of 3 facial expressions/ distinctive gestures
child’s response filmed and identified by independent observers

association found between actions

Question 7

outline Isabella’s study into interactional synchrony (1989)

Answer 7

observed 30 mothers and infants together and assessed degree of synchrony
also assessed quality of attachment

positive correlation between high synchrony lvls and quality of attachment