Caregiver-Infant Interactions

Question 1

What is attachment?

Answer 1

An affectional tie that binds one person or animal to another

Question 2

What is reciprocity?

Answer 2

-An interaction from one partner elicts a response from the other
i.e. responding to actions with a similar action
-Essential in reinforcing attachment bond
e.g. when one smiles it triggers a smile in the other
-Traditionally babies seen as passive role, however baby can also take active role - both can initiate interactions and it appears they take turns

Question 3

What research support is there for reciprocity?

Answer 3

-Tronick asked mothers who were enjoying dialogue with babies to stop moving and maintain static, unsmiling expression on faces
-Babies would try to temp mothers into interaction by smiling and would become puzzled and increasingly distressed when they did not back
This shows babies expect a response to their actions from their mothers, supporting the concept of reciprocity.

Question 4

What is interactional synchrony?

Answer 4

-When 2 people interact they tend to mirror what the other does in facial and body movements
-Infants move their bodies in tune with rhythm of carers’ spoken language to create a turn-taking interaction
-Includes emotions as well as behaviour
-Develop a sense of shared timing which develops into a flow of mutual behaviours

Question 5

What research is there for interactional synchrony?

Answer 5

-It is believed that interactional synchrony is important for development of mother-infant attachment
-Isabella et al observed 30 mothers and infants and assessed the degree of synchrony
-Researchers also assessed quality of mother-infant attachment
-Found high levels of synchrony were assoicated with better quality mother-infant attachment

Question 6

What are 2 strengths of research into caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 6

Practical applications:
-Hospitals now place mothers and babies in same room following birth, rather than previous separate
-Encourages formation of attachments
This supports notion that these behaviours give the infant an evolutionary advantage in forming an attachment bond

Controlled observations captured in fine detail:
-Observations generally well controlled
-Both mother and infant being filmed often from multiple angles
-Ensures fine details of behaviour can be recorded and analysed
-Babies don’t know or care they are being observed - behaviour doesn’t change
This is a strength of this line of research because it means the research has good validity

Question 7

What are 2 limitations of research into caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 7

Problems with testing infant behaviour:
-Many studies involving observations of mothers and infants have shown same patterns
-What is being observed is merely hand movements or changes in expression
-It is difficult to be certain based on these observations what is taking place from infancy perspective - is the imitation conscious or deliberate
This means we cannot really know for certain that behaviours seen as mother-infant interaction have a special meaning

Research is descriptive not explanatory:
-Feldman points out synchrony and reciprocity simply describe behaviour that occurs at same time
-They can reliably observe but may not be particularly useful as does not tell us purpose
-Some evidence to suggest they are helpful in development of mother-infant attachment, as well as stress responses, empathy and moral development
However this evidence isn’t strong enough to provide us with conclusive detail of the function of these phenomena.