Caregiver-Infant Interactions

Question 1

Define attachment

Answer 1

A close two-way emotional bond

Question 2

What is reciprocity and give an example

Answer 2

Reciprocity is when the actions of one partner elicit a response from the other partner.
E.g. a parent talking to a child and the child smiling

Question 3

Outline trunick’s still face experiment

Answer 3

• got mothers to play with a child and then go still faced with no reactions
• babies then try to get mothers to continue to interact by smiling, crying etc.
• this is reliable evidence that supports the idea of reciprocity

Question 4

Outline Murray and Trevarthen’s research into reciprocity.

Answer 4

• studied 2 month old infants
• infants interacted with their mother through a video monitor in real time which then switches to a tape recording
• the results showed acute distress in the infants as they weren’t getting a response from their mothers

Question 5

Define international synchrony

Answer 5

When two people interact and mirror what the other is doing in terms of their facial and body movements

Question 6

Outline Meltzoff and Moore’s research into international synchrony

Answer 6

• controlled observation
• adults displayed facial expressions to infants and they mirrored the behaviours
• shows interactional synchrony in as young as 2 weeks old
• suggests these behaviours are innate and we have a drive to attach from birth
• gives us the idea that there is some biological basis for attachment as the children are so young when seeking interactions synchrony and reciprocity

Question 7

Outline isabella et al. Research

Answer 7

• found that strongly attached caregiver-infant pairs showed greater interactional synchrony
• shows that interactional synchrony plays an important role in forming attachments

Question 8

AO3 evaluation of research into caregiver-infant interactions

Answer 8

• observations of infant behaviour is ambiguous as we are unaware if behaviour is deliberate
• observations were highly controlled with little extraneous variables so evidence is valid and strong
• observations show natural behaviour as there is no influence from demand characteristics

Question 9

research has shown that reciprocity and interactional synchrony are important building blocks to forming attachments

Answer 9

in Schaffer and Emerson’s study they found that the infant attached to the person who was more sensitive or responsive to their needs.