Caregiver-infant Interactions Flashcards
Define Attachment
- An Emotional Tie or Bond between 2 people, usually a primary caregiver and a child
- The relationship is reciprocal, which means that it is a 2-way relationship that endures over-time
What is Reciprocity?
- When an infant responds to the actions of another person in a form or turn-taking
- Reciprocity as a caregiver-infant interaction is where in the interaction between both individuals flows back and forth
What is Interactional Synchrony?
- When infants mirror the actions or emotions of another person
EXAMPLE:
Facial expressions - This mirroring can also be referred to as imitation or simply copying the adult’s behaviour
What was the Aim and Method of Meltzoff and Moore’s study?
Aim
- To examine Interactional Synchrony
Method
- Using a Controlled Observation, an adult model displayed one of 3 facial expressions or a hand gesture
- To start with, the child had a dummy placed in his/her mouth to prevent a facial response
- Following the display from the adult model, the dummy was removed and the child’s expressions were filmed
What were Meltzoff and Moore’s results?
- There was a clear association between the infants’ behaviour and that of the adult model
- Later research by Meltzoff and Moore (1983) found the same findings in 3-day-old infants
What did Meltzoff and Moore conclude?
Suggested that Interactional Synchrony is innate and reduces the strength of any claim that imitative behaviour is learned
Evaluation of Meltzoff and Moore
Weakness:
- Overlooked Individual Differences
Evaluation of Caregiver-infant Interactions
Weakness
- Questionable Reliability
- Observer Bias
What are the Stages of Attachment?
Stage 1: Asocial
Stage 2: Indiscriminate Attachments
Stage 3: Discriminate (specific) Attachments
Stage 4: Multiple Attachments
Stage 1: Asocial
AGE
- Birth to 2 months
DESCRIPTION
- An infant shows similar responses to objects and people
- Although towards the end of this stage they do display a preference for faces / eyes
Stage 2: Indiscriminate Attachments
AGE
- 2 to 6 months
DESCRIPTION
- An infant now shows a preference for a human company over non-human company
- They can distinguish between different people, but are comforted indiscriminately (by anyone) and do not show stranger anxiety yet
Stage 3: Discriminate (specific) Attachments
AGE
- 7 to 12 months
DESCRIPTION
- AN infant shows a preference for one caregiver, displaying separation and stranger anxiety
- The infant looks to a particular person for security and protection
- The infant shows joy upon reunion and are comforted by their primary caregiver
Stage 4: Multiple Attachments
AGE
- 1 year onwards
DESCRIPTION
- Attachment behaviours are now displayed towards several different people (e.g. siblings, grandparents, etc) and are sometimes referred to as secondary attachments
- They typically form in the first month after the primary attachment is formed and the number of multiple attachments which develop depends on the social circle to whom the infant is exposed
What is the aim and method of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
Aim
- To examine the formation of early attachments
Method - Their sample consisted of 60 babies (31 male, 29 females) from working-class families in Glasgow aged between 5-23 weeks at the start of the investigation
- The researchers visited the babies in their homes, every month for the first 12 months and then once again in 18 months
- The researchers interviewed the mothers and observed the children in relation to separation and stranger anxiety in a range of everyday activities
What were the results of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
- At around 25-32 weeks, 50% of the children showed separation anxiety towards their mothers (expected of the discriminate attachment stage)
- By 40 weeks, 80% of children had a specific (discriminate) attachment and 30% had started to form multiple attachments
