Caregiver - infant interactions

Question 1

reciprocity definition

Answer 1

An interaction is reciprocal when each person responds to the other and elicits a response from them

Question 2

what is infant alertness?

Answer 2

• babies have periodic ‘alert phases’ and signal that they are ready for interaction
• typically, mothers pick up on and respond to infant alertness around 2/3 of the time
• from approx 3 months, this interaction becomes more frequent and involves close attention to verbal signals and facial expressions (feldman)
• a key element of this interaction is reciprocity

Question 3

Brazleton et al reciprocity

Answer 3

• A ‘dance’ where each partner responds to the other’s moves
• contradicts traditional perceptions of the baby being in a ‘passive’ role, simply receiving care from an adult
• both mother and child can initiate interaction, taking turns

Question 4

interactional synchrony definition

Answer 4

the temporal co-ordination of micro-level social behaviour
(caregiver and infant interact so that their actions and emotions simultaneously mirror each other

Question 5

research into interactional synchrony

Answer 5

• Meltzoff and Moore
  observed infants as young as 2 weeks old
  adult displayed one of 3 facial expressions or gestures, and the infant response was filmed and identified by independent observers
  they found an association between the adult gestures and infant responses
• Isabella et al
  observed 30 mothers and infants together and assessed the degree of interactional synchrony
  they also assessed the quality of infant - mother attachment
  They fond that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality attachment

Question 6

Evaluation of care-giver infant interactions

Answer 6

• it is difficult to observe infants as their behaviour is often ambiguous, such as just hand movements and subtle changes of expression. so it is difficult to be certain of what is happening from the infant’s perspective (e.g. is infant imitation of adult signals conscious)
  we cannot therefore be certain that care - giver infants interactions have a special meaning
• controlled observations are able to capture fine detail
  the mother and infant are often filmed from multiple angles, ensuring that fine details of behaviour can be recorded and analysed
  babies do not know they are being recorded so the controlled observation does not change their behaviour, meaning research has good validity
• observations dont tell us the purpose of interactional synchrony or reciprocity (Feldman)
  However, there is some evidence that interactional synchrony and reciprocity are helpful in the development of mother infant attachment, and also hold significance in stress responses, empathy, language, and moral development