Caregiver-Infant Interactions

Question 1

Define reciprocity.

Answer 1

• referred to as turn-taking
• two-way, mutual process
• infants coordinate actions with their caregivers like a conversation

Question 2

Define interactional synchrony.

Answer 2

• adults and babies respond in time to sustain communication

- interactions mirror one another

Question 3

What did Meltzoff and Moore (1977) find?

Answer 3

• infants as young as 2/3 weeks imitated specific facial and hand gestures copied from adults
• there is an association between an infant’s behaviour and the adult model

Question 4

What did Meltzoff and Moore’s (1977) research involve?

Answer 4

• adult model displayed one of three facial expressions or hand movements
• the baby had a dummy to prevent a response
• dummy was removed and the infant’s expression was filmed

Question 5

Evaluate Caregiver and Infant Interactions.

Answer 5

(+) Interactional synchrony is demonstrated in many studies - Meltzoff and Moore (1977)

(+) Murray and Trevarthen (1985) showed that babies want mothers to reciprocate - mother interactions // video of the mother

(+) Abravanel and DeYoung (1991) showed interactional synchrony is a specific response - babies showed no response to human-like puppet

(-) relies on inferences - babies cant communicate

(-) expressions tested are common among babies - may not be deliberate imitations

Question 6

State the difficulties with investigating Caregiver-Infant interactions.

Answer 6

1. Lab settings show different behaviour to home environment. Studies should be conducted in a natural setting - validity
2. Could be observer bias - counteracted with inter-rater reliability
3. Practical issues - babies have limited time when they can be studied (sleeping, feeding etc)
4. Ethical issues - babies can’t consent, ensure protection from harm, confidentiality