caregiver-infant interactions Flashcards
what is the difference between precocial animals and altricial animals?
precocial = born at a fairly advanced stage of development
altricial = born at a relatively early stage of development, so form attachments with adults that will protect them
what is an attachment?
‘an enduring two-way emotional tie to a specific other person’
when is an attachment seen as having developed?
when an infant shows stranger anxiety and separation protest
what are the 5 interactions that serve to develop and maintain attachments?
-interactional synchrony (infants move their body in tune with the carers language)
-reciprocity (mutual behaviour eg a smile from one causing the other to smile)
-bodily contact
-mimicking (facial expressions)
-caregiverese (‘baby-voice’)
research on caregiver-infant interactions
-Condon & Sander 1974 - frame-by-frame video recordings of infants movements, they co-ordinated their actions with adults speech, supporting interactional synchrony
-Feldman & Eidelman 2007 - reciprocity seen from 3m/o, interactions become more frequent, and they pay more attention to each other’s expressions
-Klaus & Kennell 1976 - physical contact comparison (alot vs minimal), a month later the more physical contact = better attachment
evaluate caregiver-infant interactions
-klaus and kennels findings had practical applications in putting babies with their mothers straight after birth in hospitals
-Durkin 1995 - klaus & kennels findings were because they only focused on poor, unmarried women, but De Chateau & Wiberg 1984 found the same findings in middle class swedish mothers
-caregiverese is used on all infants, not just those you’re attached to, so may not specifically help attachment formation
-interactional synchrony isn’t found in all cultures so may not be necessary, Le Vine et al 1994 - kenyan mothers have little physical contacts / interactions but still have secure attachments
