Caregiver Infant Interactions Flashcards
attachment
2 way emotional bond between 2 individuals, usually infant and caregiver, for emotional support
reciprocity
the action of one person elicits a response (not necessarily the same action) from the other person, to maintain the interaction
interactional synchrony
the temporal coordination of microlevel social behaviour between two people to sustain the interaction
alert phases
baby signals it is ready for an interaction (e.g. eye contact)
how often do mums pick up on alert phase signals
~2/3rds of the time (Feldman and Eidelman)
what is meant by active involvement?
caregivers and babies an both initiate interactions and they have an active role in interactions
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) aim
investigate levels of reciprocity in 2-3 week old babies by observing their responses to non-primary caregivers’ actions
what actions did the caregiver display in M&M’s procedure
1 of 3 facial expressions and 1 hand gesture
findings of M&M
association between infant and caregiver behaviour –> tried to replicate the behaviour
a later study found same levels of reciprocity and interactional synchrony in 3 day old babies, suggesting this behaviour is innate
Tronick et al. (1979) aim
observe changes in 2-12 month old infants’ behaviour when reciprocity from mother stops
3 episodes of Tronick et al.
- normal face-to-face interactions and play
- Still face episode –> caregiver keeps unresponsive face and doesn’t smile, talk to or touch baby
- Reunion –> resume normal interactions
3 features shown by baby in still face episode of Tronick et al.
- decreased positive mood
- pick-me-up behaviours
- physiological stress indicators
Caregiver-infant interactions evaluation
M&M’s faces are still active
