Caregiver-infant interactions

Question 1

Give the definition of an ‘attachment’

Answer 1

An attachment is a close two-way emotional bond between two individuals in which each sees the other as essential for their own emotional security

Question 2

Give 3 ways/ behaviours in which we can recognise as an attachment

Answer 2

Proximity - staying physically close to the attachment figure

Separation distress - being upset when the attachment figure leaves

Secure base behaviour - leaving the attachment figure but regularly returning to them

Question 3

What is meant by ‘alert phases’

Answer 3

Babies have periodic ‘alert phases’ when they use eye contact (a signal) that they are ready for interaction

Question 4

What did Feldman and Eidelman (2007) recognise regarding alert phases?

Answer 4

They found that mothers typically pick-up and respond to this alertness around 2/3 of the time

Question 5

From what age does alert phases become increasingly frequent?

Answer 5

At 3 months both the mother and baby pay close attention to each other’s verbal signs and facial expressions

Question 6

What is interactional synchrony?

Answer 6

Mirroring - people are said to be synchronised when they carry out the same action simultaneously.
When a care giver and baby interact in such a way that their actions and emotions mirror eachother

Question 7

How did Feldman define interactional synchrony?

Answer 7

“The temporal co-ordination of micro level social behaviour”

Question 8

What did Meltzoff and Moore (1977) do?

Answer 8

• Observed the beginnings of interactional synchrony in babies as young as 2 weeks old
• An adult displayed 1 of 3 facial expressions and 1 of 3 distinctive gestures and the baby’s responses were filmed and labelled by an independent observer
• Babies expressions and gestures were more likely to mirror those of adults

Question 9

Describe what Isabella et al. (1989) do regarding interactional synchrony

Answer 9

Observed mothers and babies together and assessed the degree of synchrony and the quality of mother-baby attachment
They found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better mother-baby attachment (the emotional intensity of the relationship)
High synchrony = higher quality of attachment

Question 10

When is an interaction said to show reciprocity?

Answer 10

When each person responds to the other and receives a response back - this can be via verbal signals or facial expressions
Eg. a baby smiles at its mother and the mother says somethings which in turn elicits a response from the baby

Question 11

What is meant by ‘active role’?

Answer 11

Traditionally babies are seen in a passive role, receiving care from adults
However, babies and caregivers take on an active role
From 3 months reciprocal interaction tends to increase in frequency, both can initiate interactions and appear to take turns in doing it.
Brazelton et al. (1975) described this interaction as a ‘dance’- partner responds to others moves

Question 12

Who performed the Still Face experiment, and when?

Answer 12

Tronick in 1975

Question 13

Describe the procedure of the Still Face experiment

Answer 13

• A mother and her baby are communicating positively, talking and playing. The mother is responding to the babies actions
• The mother then completely ignores the child and doesn’t acknowledge anything they do to try and get the mother’s attention
• The baby becomes more and more stressed and can’t control its emotions. This is an example of when reciprocity goes wrong
• After a couple of minutes, the mother responds again and the baby goes back to being happy.

Question 14

Give 2 strengths of child studies but relevant for most attachment

Answer 14

1. Filmed observations - Caregiver-infant interactions are usually conducted in a lab. The experiment can be controlled- there are no distractions, babies don’t know they are being filmed. Observations can be filmed from multiple angles and analysed later (by more than one person- inter-rate reliability) - ensuring key behaviour is not missed. Good validity and reliability
2. Potential value to society - Research into caregiver-infant interaction has a practical application in parenting skills training
   Found that a 10 minute parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) improved interactional synchrony in 20 low-income mothers and their pre-school children compared to a control group
   This research could lead to improving and developing mother-infant attachments (particularly in at-risk groups)

Question 15

Give 2 limitations of child studies but relevant for most attachment

Answer 15

1. Hard to interpret a baby’s behaviour - Small babies lack coordination and much if their bodies are immobile - movements/ expressions observed are so small/ subtle
   Observers can’t be sure that what they’re observing is random or triggered by something the caregiver has done
   Therefore we cannot be sure that certain behaviour seen in caregiver-infant interactions have a special meaning
2. Research can be socially sensitive - It is sometimes said that children may be at a disadvantage by particular child-rearing practices e.g. mothers who return to work shortly after their child is born
   This suggests that mothers should not return to work as soon- this has obvious socially sensitive implications